The Quest
by funkytoes
Summary: Four travelers are on a quest to the formidable North. Each for their own reasons. Will they complete their quest? Will they manage to find what they are looking for? Or will they find something else along their journey? [Fantasy AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings! I know what you're thinking.** ** _Another_** **story? Well, rest assured, this story will not interfere with the other stories I am currently posting. This is a story I finished writing months ago, but never got around to posting, and as it entirely completed, I will not have to take time away from my other stories to write it.**

 **This story is an adventure story, about three (four if you include Toothless, and you really** _ **should)**_ **adventurers as they go on a quest, each for their own reasons. The story is mostly from the point of view of both Astrid and Hiccup, but the hero of our story is undeniably Hiccup, as you will see.**

 **We will start with Astrid to kick things off, as she travels through a wood, on her way on a quest of great importance, not knowing that her life, and her world, will change in more than one way in the events that will occur…**

* * *

Astrid peeked out from under her fur lined hood. The air was heavy, moist and soulful. The clouds were beginning to brawl in the sky, the first few drops falling from the heavens to bless the earth with their presence. She quickened her pace, not wanting to get caught in the impending storm.

She smelled it first, the smell of smoke, pine, and fresh baked bread. Looking up, she could see a trail of smoke rising from the tree tops just ahead. A cabin, or inn of some sort. Perhaps she could find shelter there. She pulled the cloak closer around her, shivering. Although the air was almost hot with anticipation, she felt chilled. Used to this feeling, she hurried on without much delay.

A few hundred yards and she reached a small settlement. It was merely what appeared to be a tavern, with a stable and small homestead. There were a few men lounging outside on the steps, too drunk to sit properly, or see past their ugly noses.

She adjusted the hilt of her sword so as to reveal it properly, and walked forward towards the entrance. To her luck, the men were too incapacitated to pay her much attention, save a few lewd and confused glances.

She pulled the door open and stepped into the light, the heat of many fires and bodies hitting her like a slap. She stepped inside, gaining the attention of nearby customers.

She would never get used to the smell of unwashed men, no matter how many times she was forced to be near them. Tempted to sit in a dark corner, she chose somewhere in the light, well viewed by many. She sat at a table, and waited for the large bosomed woman to approach, slapping down a large pint of ale. "On the house," she said in a deep, husky voice. "Anything you'd like with it?"

"I have money," Astrid replied, reaching for her coin purse.

"No," the woman shook her head, "I don't want your money, girl. You've got enough problems to deal with," the woman nodded her head to the right, and Astrid looked over without moving her own head, at a few surly looking men leering at her from the other end of the hall.

"Ah," Astrid said, frowning.

"If they try to do anything ungentlemanly, just scream—although from your attire, I'd say you don't need to."

Astrid said nothing, waiting for the conversation to continue onto something else.

"So," the woman said, "Anything else? It'd be on the house."

Astrid smiled, "Some stew would be nice," she said. "And some bread."

"I'll come back with it shortly," the woman said. "The name's Grega by the way—and remember, scream if they bother you. We don't get many girls in here."

The woman walked away, her ample hips swaying. Astrid watched her go before turning her attention to the mug of ale before her. She lifted it off the table and took a tentative sip, the bitter-sweet taste welcome to her parched mouth. She would have preferred water, but she did not trust the drinking water here was pure. She eyed the men staring at her, automatically placing a hand on the hilt of her sword. She fingered the pommel, taking another sip, when a bowl and plate appeared in front of her.

"As requested," Grega said, "Stew, bread, and I added some cheese and a biscuit too."

"Aw, Grega!" a man shouted, laughing, from nearby, "Why don't you treat us like that?"

"Because you've got an ugly face," Grega barked back. "Enjoy, lassie."

As the barmaid walked away, Astrid eyed the food. It looked edible, and it would certainly be better than foraging for food another night. She tore a piece of bread off the loaf and dipped it in the stew, popping it in her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed. So long had it been since she had eaten home cooked food, it seemed a far off memory. She continued to eat with vigor, when she felt a shiver run up her spine. She looked up to see a set of eyes watching her. The eyes, clear blue and so pale they seemed translucent, belonged to the face of a gaunt, hungry looking man. Not hungry for food, he seemed, but instead for something else. The hilt of her sword again found its way into her hand, and her body tensed as the man rose and began walking towards her.

The door was thrown open, a wet wind blasting into the tavern, and the room fell silent for a moment before a few clamored to close the door after those who had entered.

Astrid stood, the gaunt man forgotten, as two men fell to the floor in front of the door.

"What happened?" the man who had laughingly shouted at Grega asked, bending over to peer at the collapsed men.

One struggled to his knees, and Astrid narrowed her eyes at the sight of him. Covered in grime and blood, most of which appeared to be his, he was shaking. The other man was in worse condition.

"What is going on?" Grega had returned, her booming voice echoing in the hall and silencing those who were murmuring to each other.

"These men just came in here from the storm, looking like death itself," the man who was inspecting them said.

"Is that so?" Grega peered down. "Well, don't just stand there, get them to a room. And someone call for the healer. She'll have to take a look at them."

"The beast…" the man kneeling said, shaking, "No one must go out—it shall devour you… wait it out… the night is dangerous…"

"Poor thing," Grega said softly, "he must have gone mad. Well, Chatley, take them away. And _someone_ call for Elana. She won't get here if no one tells her to come."

A man hurried out the door, and the man kneeling on the ground began to shriek.

Astrid walked forward. "Where did you come from?" she asked, kneeling before the man. "Who did this to you?"

"The beast…" the man said, trembling. "A terrible creature, a monster… a dragon of some sort."

Astrid raised her eyebrows.

"A _dragon_?" Grega boomed. "How preposterous. He's lost his mind."

"It turns into a man during the day—but at night, at night it ravages the woods, looking for victims," the man said breathlessly, as he was picked up and dragged away. "Don't venture into the night—it shall devour you!"

Astrid stood, watching as the two men were taken away.

"What a load of hogs wallop," Grega said, as the men disappeared up the stairs.

Astrid frowned. "What do you think could of done that to them?" she asked.

"Hel if I know," the woman replied.

The marks on them were nothing like Astrid had ever seen, and although the thought of dragons still existing was as preposterous as Grega had claimed, she had seen enough bite and claw marks to know that those were nothing of any creature she had come across or known about so far in her life.

She took in a deep breath, adjusting her cloak. "I'm going out," she said.

"Out?" Grega turned to look at her, "In this storm? You'll catch your death."

"While I doubt it's a dragon that turns into a man, or perhaps a man who turns into a dragon, something _did_ attack them. And if it attacked them, it may attack again. Someone's got to stop it."

"And you think that person is you?" Grega asked, staring at her. "Those men are strong, healthy, hardy lads. You think you could defeat something that nearly tore them to shreds?"

Astrid placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. "I may look weak," she said, "But I pack quite the punch. I'll be fine."

Grega sighed. "At least finish your food," she said. "You'll need strength if you're going to go out into the storm and fight some beast."

Astrid looked at her food, and nodded. She did not want to waste time, but the woman had a point. She sat back down and ate the rest of her food slowly, avoiding the ale. She needed her wits about her.

When she was finished, she stood from the table, the hall growing quiet as she did. Grega approached, holding a lantern. "To see with," she said.

"I don't need it," Astrid replied.

"It's pitch black out there," the woman huffed. "You're going to catch your death, you might as well see where you're going."

"The beast will have a harder time tracking me in this weather," Astrid said, "I'm not going to ruin that opportunity by shining a light where it could _see_ me."

Grega's muscular arm lowered slightly. "Aye," she said, "You have a point, I suppose. Well, be on your way, lassie. Come back, if you survive. I'd like to see your pretty face again."

Astrid smiled, nodded, turned, and walked out the door into the torrential, ominous rain.

* * *

The rain had done a good job washing away the blood trail, but the footsteps were still visible enough for her to track. There was little light, and for a moment she wished she _had_ accepted the lantern, but she knew that the opportunity to sneak up on the beast was too good to pass up. She did not fancy dying tonight, however noble her intentions were. She had too much to live for.

The trail led her deep into the woods. The air was heavy, and she was already soaked to the bone, despite the heavy canopy of trees above her. Finally, she found what she was looking for. Tracks that belonged to nothing she had ever seen. For a moment, she believed that it _could_ be a dragon, but she shook that thought from her head. Dragons did not exist. If they did, it had been hundreds of years since they could have last been seen. It was some predator that hid in the woods, coming out at night, terrorizing travelers.

She followed the tracks for a few yards, until suddenly they disappeared. The ground here was heavily torn up, as if something had landed from a great height and velocity. She frowned, standing, looking around, but the heavy underbrush prevented her from seeing where the beast could have jumped from. She sighed in irritation. She could not leave this place until she slew the beast—she would not condone another innocent to the fate of those two men, or worse. She took another step, ready to scout out and re-find the tracks, when she heard a rumble. She stiffened, hand flying to her sword. She spun around, peering into the wet darkness. Pale green eyes peered back at her, seeming to glow in the night, pupils constricted into angry slits.

She drew her sword, the sound clanging and echoing into the night. The beast growled, a flame erupting from its mouth.

Astrid's sword arm lowered in shock for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise, as the beast moved forward with expert grace, and she was blasted with wind. She lifted her sword in time to block a swipe of claws, but did not seem to make much impact on the beast. In the darkness she could barely see anything of the creature, only the sounds from its throat and the ground moving beneath it. A swipe of her sword and the beast howled in pain, though she could tell she barely landed a hit, and a small whimper escaped its lips. She did not have time to ponder this moment of frailty, for as she lifted her sword above her, ready to bring it down upon the creature's head, something hit her sharply and with force in the back of her own.

* * *

 ** _To be continued…_**

 ** _This is not a "High Fantasy" story. It's a little too satirical and farcical for that ;)_**

 ** _As with all my stories, the chapter length varies from chapter to chapter._**

 ** _And here is my dutiful disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any of its IP and franchises._**

 ** _I hope to post chapters with some regularity, since this story is already written. However, I cannot promise a perfect update schedule, and as I have a life and troubles of my own, there may be weeks of no updates. But, like I said, I will try my hardest to post regularly._**

 ** _Thanks for checking out this story! I'd love to know what you thought of it so far and if you'd like to see more :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

She was aware of the sharp taste of copper first, and immediately reached for her sword, but found her hands were secured tightly behind her with some kind of rope. She opened her eyes and struggled to sit up, but could not remove herself from the ground. She peered into the damp darkness, her eyes slowly adjusting. She was in a cave of sorts. Outside she could hear the rain falling down with rage. Her sword and belongings were not nearby.

She closed her eyes, the headache plaguing her since she woke making it difficult to think. She had been fighting some beast—some creature she had never come across before, and she was struck from behind before she could land the killing blow. Something—or someone—had prevented her from killing the creature.

She heard a soft yowl from a little ways away, echoing in the chamber-like cave. A voice was heard then, speaking softly and urgently. Was this the man the victims were speaking of last night? Or was it longer ago? She had no concept of time in this dark lightless cave. She heard footsteps, and stilled, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing.

A hand brushed hair away from her face, touching her forehead gently.

"She doesn't have a fever, at least," the soft, somewhat nasal, voice said from above her.

There was a soft warble, and Astrid flinched.

The hand drew away quickly, and then the voice said, after a moment's hesitation, "Are you awake?"

Realizing that he would soon discover that she was no longer unconscious, she opened her eyes and looked up, the angle difficult to discern who was kneeling above her. She could glimpse pale skin, freckles, messy brown hair, and bright green eyes. He was holding a torch that cast a yellow gold glow upon him.

"Who are you…" she asked quietly.

"Who are you?" he returned.

She closed her mouth into a thin line. "I asked you first."

"Well, you're not in a position to be making demands," he said, shifting to a crouching position. "But my name is Hiccup."

"Hiccup?" the name was familiar—but where could she have heard it before? She ignored the nagging feeling that she should know this name—or at least, this boy, and said, "My name is Astrid. Now untie me."

"Why should I do that?" Hiccup asked, "When you could just attack Toothless again."

"Toothless?" she looked past the boy to a large crouching figure of the creature. Black scales like skin, a set of large wings, and four clawed feet. There was no mistaking it. This was the creature that had attacked her last night. "Is it really a dragon?" she asked.

"Of course," the boy answered, as if this was a silly question to ask.

"Dragons are extinct," she said matter-of-factly.

"Toothless, slow flame," the boy ordered, and the dragon opened its mouth, a flame forming between its jaws, causing yet another glow to fall upon them. After a moment, the creature, Toothless, though even from her position Astrid could clearly see it was certainly _not_ toothless, closed its jaws.

"Alright," she relented, "It certainly _appears_ to be a dragon. Now will you untie me? I don't have my sword, and I won't attack either of you knowing that I probably won't survive."

The boy glanced at the dragon, and they shared a thoughtful look. "Fine," Hiccup said finally, leaning his torch against the side of the cave and taking a knife from his belt, cutting her ropes. She felt her body relax for a moment as it was freed from its binds, and tensed again as the boy helped her into a sitting position. She slapped his hands away, leaning against the rock wall. "What is this place?" she asked him.

"A cave," the boy said simply, looking at her seriously.

"I can see that," she said. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you out in the storm," Hiccup said. "You'd be half dead by morning."

"I feel half dead now," she muttered, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ah, yeah, well, I had to act quickly," the boy said apologetically, "I couldn't let you kill Toothless after you attacked him."

"He attacked me first."

"He thought you were there to kill us," Hiccup said. "You can't blame him for being defensive."

"I was making sure no one else got hurt," Astrid replied tartly.

"Hurt?" Hiccup frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I was at an inn, a little ways from here, when two travelers came in, claiming a dragon that turns into a man attacked them. They were close to death." She eyed them. "I assumed that was you two."

"Well, clearly we are two separate beings," Hiccup said, amused, before he frowned. "But I'm afraid it wasn't us. We appear to be tracking the same beast, you see."

"You were…" it was her turn to frown. "You were tracking it? How do I know you aren't lying?" she demanded suspiciously.

Hiccup shrugged. "We're not the type to attack random travelers. Unless they attack us," he admitted, nodding in her direction. "Would you like some water?"

"Water?" she glanced down to see that a bowl was lying on the ground next to him, filled was fresh water. She licked her dry lips automatically, suddenly realizing how parched she was, and the boy smiled, handing her it. She took it and sniffed.

"It's not poisoned," he said. "I have no reason to poison you."

"You tied me up," she reminded him.

"I wanted to make sure you couldn't get the drop on us. Like I said, we don't make a habit of attacking strangers."

She eyed him, and took a sip. It was fresh, clear rain water. Not poisoned that she could tell. She drank the rest quickly, her mouth and throat still parched. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Waiting for the storm to pass," he said. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Apparently the same," she said, handing him back the bowl.

"I mean before you came out to kill us," Hiccup said.

"My business is my own," she answered, shivering slightly.

Hiccup frowned, eyeing her body. He must have noticed that she wore enough clothes to keep warm, but she was missing her cloak. "I'll be right back," he said, standing. "Toothless, keep an eye on her."

The dragon gave a small, non-threatening growl as the boy walked away and out of sight, taking the torch with him. Astrid was plunged into darkness, and as her eyes adjusted she could see the eyes of the dragon watching her carefully, and beyond him, the exit to the outside. Her hand itched for her sword. She would make a break for it, if she could get past the dragon, but she could not leave her sword.

Hiccup returned with her cloak. "I dried it," he said, tossing it onto her. "Well, Toothless did." She grabbed it and pulled it tightly around her.

"Are you coming down with something?" he asked her, looking down at her with mild concern.

"I'm just cold," she said.

"You _were_ out in the rain," he agreed.

She decided not to correct him on the real reason she was always chilled, and stood shakily.

"Easy," he was at her side in an instant, holding her steady, and she realized that he was taller than her by quite a few inches. He must stand over six feet, and his clothes hid the muscles that she could feel now, but had missed when she had looked at him from a distance.

"Let go of me," she said, pushing away from him.

"I must have hit you harder than I thought," Hiccup said as she swayed, his hands trying to catch hold of her again.

"I'm good," she muttered, leaning against the cave wall.

"You need food," he said. "Although you may throw it up. Rest would be good for you. And there's still a storm outside. If you leave, you may die."

This gained her attention, and she sat back down, cradling her head in her hands. "So," she said, once her mind cleared. "You're tracking this beast too?"

"Yes," Hiccup said. "It attacked my village, killing quite a few. So I've been tracking it for the past few months. It's… very elusive."

"Elusive?" she looked at him, then at the dragon. "You couldn't catch up to it?"

"Let's just say that I'm not even sure what it looks like, as I've only caught glimpses of it. It could be dragon, or some other creature."

"Tell me," she said, "How could dragons exist and I not know anything about it?"

Hiccup shrugged. "You seem like a well-educated girl, but even the well-educated cannot know everything. Dragons don't _want_ to be found. So they're not. They're very elusive."

"Sounds like this beast _is_ a dragon," she noted. "What village are you from?"

"Ragged Cove," he replied.

She looked at him in surprise. "That's in the province of Berk, is it not?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "Are you from Berk?"

"I am," was her reply. "I hail from the capitol."

"The capitol?" he raised his eyebrows. "Are you nobility?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she muttered, rubbing the back of her head again.

"Well, you can deny it all you want, I can already tell. You keep yourself cleaner than most people—you smell nicer, and you have very nice clothes. Plus the sword…"

"Where is my sword?" she demanded, launching to her feet and taking a menacing step towards him. He took a hasty step backwards as Toothless growled a warning.

"It's…" he glanced over to where he had disappeared earlier. "I can go get it, if you promise not to attack us."

"I promise," she said quickly.

"Alright," he said, "I'll be right back."

He left, and she leaned against the cave wall again.

He returned shortly, carrying her sword and many of her belongings. He placed them at her feet, and she grabbed the sword, pulling it out of its sheath, checking it, before sighing in relief. She counted and checked the rest of her things, and was relieved to find that they were all there.

"You don't usually find a female warrior," he noted, "Especially not one traveling alone. Unless you're _not_ traveling alone…."

"No, I am," she said.

"Why?"

"Why are _you_ traveling alone?" she countered.

"I'm not," he said, "I have Toothless."

"Ah yes, the very toothy dragon," she said, re-attaching some of the items taken from her. "Well, thank you for getting me away from the weather, but I must be on my way."

"You're not quite up for gallivanting," he said, "And besides, the storm is still going pretty strong out there. And you're already getting sick," he added.

"I'm not sick," she said.

"You're shivering."

"It's cold," she replied.

"Well, we'll make a fire," he said, turning to look at Toothless, before standing and walking away for a third time. When he returned, he had some wood in his hands. He placed it on the ground, preparing it with the expertise that a common man would have, and with a quick blast Toothless lit it.

The warmth from the sudden flame did little to warm her, but the comfort of the light and heat was welcome.

"So, you come from the capitol," he said, "What are you doing way out here in the middle of nowhere? You can't be tracking the same beast."

"I'm not," she said. "I'm on a quest."

He sat down, raising his eyebrows. "A quest?"

"Yes."

"What kind of quest?"

"The private kind."

He gave her a long look. "That's not really fair," he said. "I told you why _we_ were out here."

She returned his look.

"Fine, fine," he shrugged. "Keep your secrets. After this storm you can go on your merry way and Toothless and I can finish off this beast and return home."

" _I'm_ going to finish it off," she said, touching the hilt of her sword.

"What?"

"I already decided—last night, I would take care of this beast before it attacks anyone else," she said.

"Well, then the three of us will be stuck together for a little while longer," he said.

"Which direction has it been going in?" she asked.

"North," he said. "Clearly, I mean… we're North of Berk now."

She glared at him, before sighing. "That's good. That's where I'm headed as well."

"Clearly."

She did not have the energy to glare at him again. "So…" she said, "how long do you think this rain will last?"

"A few hours longer," he said. "It'll be dark soon, so we should wait until morning, if the weather clears up by then."

"Good plan," she agreed.

"Do you think you can eat?" he asked her.

"Eat?" she frowned, "Yeah, I could eat something."

"I'll be right back," he said, standing.

"Let me—"

"No, you rest," he said. "I'll be right back."

He left, taking his torch with him. In the bright light of the fire, Toothless seemed far less threatening. He was looking at her with interest, but she pointedly ignored him. This Hiccup boy, and his strange, formally extinct pet, were oddities she did not expect to find in her travels. This boy… man, she supposed, he could hardly be much younger than her, was different than she was used to. She was still not used to speaking and interacting with common people as if they were her equals. Something about this boy was different… familiar… had she met him before? But she had never been to his village, and she was sure she would remember him. He had a handsome face of sorts; surely one she would remember, and his voice was rather unforgettable, and she _definitely_ would remember a dragon.

He returned shortly, carrying some dried meat. "We couldn't go hunting yesterday," he said, "All the animals were hiding in anticipation of the storm. So have some of this. Traded it from a nearby village."

She accepted it, gazing at it unimpressed.

"It won't break your teeth, if that's what you're worried about," he said.

She took a bite, almost immediately wishing she hadn't, and chewed. She managed to get it all down and gulped down the water Hiccup then handed to her.

"So," Hiccup said, accepting the bowl back. "Astrid's a pretty name."

"Thanks," she said without much gusto.

"How'd you learn to use the sword?" he asked.

"My father always wanted a son," she said. "Instead he got two daughters. And I picked it up faster than my sister."

"You have a sister?"

Her mouth fell into a thin line.

Hiccup watched her bearing change with curiosity. "You don't want to talk about her? What, you two don't get along?"

She looked down at her sword, and said, "That's none of your business. For now, let's just decide our tactics."

"Tactics?"

"How are we going to defeat this beast? And are there any clues to know what kind of beast it is?"

"It could be a dragon I suppose…" Hiccup said, "Although it could also be some other creature. Many sightings claim it can turn into a human—which would disprove the dragon theory."

"What do _you_ think?" she asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't think it's a dragon," he said. "Have you ever heard of a werewolf?"

"Yes…" Astrid said slowly, "They're just a myth."

"So are dragons to the general populace," he reminded her. "But I don't believe in werewolves either. The point is, legend claims there are beasts and creatures that are half human. This beast could the same. Or just cursed," he laughed.

"Curses are real," she said, her voice deadly quiet.

He frowned, "Well, I suppose we won't know until we come upon it. But we should come up with a plan, since you're adding yourself to the party."

"You want me to come along," she informed him. "I'm a good fighter."

"I was able to get the drop on you last night," he reminded her.

"I was distracted," she replied.

"Well, good luck fighting the monster," he said. "It makes Toothless look like a stuffed animal."

"I'll be able to handle myself. Just don't get in my way," she said.

"I won't."

"Good."

They looked at each other, before they both smiled, chuckling.

"Hey, you _can_ smile," he said, grinning at her.

"I smile all the time," she said, unable to prevent herself from doing so in the moment.

"The look suits you," he said.

Her smile faltered slightly, and she heard the rain lessening until she could hear it no longer. "Did the rain stop?"

"Sounds like it," he said. "It's almost night, so we should probably stay in till morning." He paused, "Get some rest," he said, "We'll leave at first light."

She nodded, and Hiccup stood, brushing off his pants. "Sleep well, Astrid," he said. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Goodnight," she said softly, watching him and his dragon leave. She pulled her cloak closer around her, shivering slightly despite the roaring fire before her. She knew she did not have time for this detour, this hesitation on her quest. Too much was at stake for her to spend time away from her path. But she found herself desperate for a connection. Something to take away this aching loneliness that was eating away at her. And if they were traveling north, she would not have to go far from her path.

No, this was good. She needed this.

She needed a friend.

* * *

 **Next chapter… will they find the beast?**

 **Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far!**

 **See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you even know _how_ to track?" Hiccup asked her as she examined the ground, peering over her shoulder. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and instead continued to study the soft, moist earth before her—trying to discern where the beasts may have gone.

"I found you, didn't I?" she asked, straightening. She started forward again, eyes focused on the details displayed in the fresh earth. The torrential rain of last night was both a hindrance and a blessing. Most of the older tracks had been washed away, but the newer ones should be startlingly obvious.

"I'm not the beast—and neither is Toothless, less you start harping on that again," Hiccup said, sounding amused. His amusement only served to irritate her, as if he were those men in Berk who doubted her skills with the sword just because she was a woman. "The beast didn't go that way."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, turning to give him a dubious look.

"I used to do this for a living," he replied. He said it so nonchalantly that she could not resist a quip.

"You tracked monsters?"

"No," he said, patiently, as he turned away. "I was technically a blacksmith—but I also worked for the tanner. I would go hunt and bring him animals. A way to make some extra money. I suppose the concept is lost on you."

"I understand the concept," she said drily, walking after him. She almost had difficulty keeping up with him—he moved so fluidly through the underbrush and through the trees. She supposed it was years of tracking and hunting that gave him those skills. "Where is your dragon?"

"Scouting out. Another reason I know the beast went this way. Toothless is never wrong about these things."

"Is that so," she said, walking a few steps behind him. She wished he had mentioned this before she made a fool of herself trying to do the tracking _herself._ She examined him as they walked, watching the way his body moved through the landscape. Seamlessly, silently, and effortlessly. His clothes disguised that he was well built. He had the appearance of a skinny, gangly boy, but she knew from last night he must be quite strong for his size, and she had felt well defined muscles when he had steadied her.

"We could ride Toothless, but I doubt you'd enjoy that very much," Hiccup said, turning his head to give her a wry smile.

"No, I wouldn't," she replied, not returning the smile. "And I doubt Toothless would either."

She still could not quite believe that Hiccup had named his dragon _Toothless._ The irony was not lost on her—she was very aware that the dragon was very much _not_ toothless. She chalked it up to the man's poor sense of humor.

Hiccup gave her an amused glance. "Have you ever flown?"

"No, can't say I have."

"Are you always this glum?"

She glared at him. "No," she said, her voice tight and tart. "I used to laugh all the time."

"What happened?"

She was surprised to find that the question was genuine. She looked away, concentrating on the path they were following.

"Don't want to talk about it?" Hiccup asked, his voice not unkind.

"It doesn't matter anymore," she said. "All I have now is this quest. If I don't complete it…" she trailed off. The mere thought was too much to bear. It was better to focus on the task at hand and put such thoughts out of her mind.

She shivered, pulling her cloak closer around her, wishing its warmth would combat the chill that plagued her.

"Are you cold?" Hiccup asked.

"No," she lied.

He eyed her suspiciously, before suddenly stopping and crouching down, gazing at the ground.

"What is it?" she asked, stepping up beside him, peering down at where his eyes were trained.

At his feet were large claw marks, imbedded in the soft earth, not unlike Toothless'. "Toothless?" she asked, straightening.

"No, these aren't his," he said, looking thoughtful. "It's definitely the beast."

She peered down. It was true, whatever this beast was it was not as heavy as a full grown dragon. And the shape seemed more… dare she say it… _man_ -like than Toothless'. "What do you suppose it looks like?"

"Not sure," he said. "I caught a glimpse of it once—it looked almost like a skeleton. Not quite human, not quite beast—with grayish dying skin pulled tight over bones… not a pretty sight. Couldn't sleep for a week."

She said nothing as Hiccup stood and continued down the path.

"Any idea how to defeat it?"

"Oh I have lots of ideas," Hiccup said, "Although I'm sure you'll toss them out the window."

She smirked at him.

"Aha, you smiled," he said, pointing at her and grinning. "Although I would have preferred a genuine, happy one."

"Well, this is all you get," she said. "Wait—look at that!" she grabbed his shoulder, stopping him, and pointed up ahead. Hiccup halted, then hurried forward, kneeling down to the ground. She quickly followed, but stayed back a little ways, looking around the clearing for any signs of the best.

"Huh," he said, "These tracks… they're definitely… _human_ -like."

She stepped forward so she was standing to his side, gazing down in shock. "It looks like the beast tracks _turned_ into _human_ tracks," she said, her eyes wide. "At least somewhat."

Hiccup looked behind him and back at the marks in the ground. "It seems that way. I've seen this before," he said. "This just confirms my suspicions."

"Suspicion of what?" she asked, already dreading the answer she knew was coming.

"That whatever this creature is, it can turn into a human."

She shivered, and for once, not from the cold. "This will make it harder to track down," she said.

"Indeed," Hiccup agreed.

He gave a loud whistle, and after a few minutes Astrid was blasted with a gust of wind as Toothless landed before them. She had the feeling the dragon could not fly properly on his own, but could jump and glide far distances, as he had been in the treetops, observing where the beast may have gone. "Hey, Bud," Hiccup said, "Looks like we've got some difficult tracking to do. Got any ideas where it went?"

Toothless gave a small growl and turned, sniffing the ground, and led the way, careful not to tread on the creature—man— _beast's_ tracks. Astrid and Hiccup followed, and Astrid once more had difficulty keeping up. Her head was still swimming from Hiccup's assault the other night, and she found herself swaying more than once.

"At least it should be easier to kill now," she said.

"True," Hiccup agreed. "Although we can't be sure it won't turn back into its beastly form. How are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your head—I hit you pretty hard. You seem to have a slight concussion. You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she said firmly. "I'm as good as new."

He narrowed his eyes. "I've seen you swaying now and then. And you're pale as a ghost. Are you sure you don't need to stop and rest?"

"I'm fine," she said earnestly, though not truthfully. "It's you I'm worried about."

"Why is that?" he asked, sounding somewhat amused by this.

"How are you going to kill this creature?" she asked. "You clearly have no military or fighting experience."

"I'm a hunter," he said, lifting up the bow in his hand for emphasis. "I'll be fine."

"A bow won't help you at short distances," she said. "What if the creature gets to you before you can get in a good shot?"

"Have you ever used a bow?" he returned, his eyebrows quirking with both hilarity and irritation. "It'll be fine at short distance. And I'm pretty handy with a knife. It's you _I'm_ worried about. You look like you're going to pass out."

"I'm fine," she repeated, ignoring the nagging pain at the back of her head and the buzzing in her ears. She really should rest. She wanted to curl up on the ground in the sunlight and take a long nap. But she also knew she needed to get this small side quest of sorts settled, so as to not take up too much time from her true purpose.

He eyed her, clearly not believing her, but thankfully dropped the subject.

While she was thankful to have a friendly presence nearby—to converse with and socialize with, she was almost looking forward to when they would part ways. _Almost._ In a small way, she was also dreading it. There was something about this boy— _man,_ she supposed, he couldn't be much older than she—that she liked. Even if he was just a commoner.

"Wait!"

She came to a quick halt at the sound of his urgent whisper.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, his hand up, palm facing her direction as if to stop her from moving.

"Hear what?" she asked.

A twig snapped in the brush, and she quickly drew her sword as Hiccup nocked an arrow. Toothless crouched, ready to pounce. Footsteps, then… a figure emerged from behind a large brush. A skinny, hungry looking man with icy blue eyes.

"You!" Astrid exclaimed in surprise.

The man narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward in her direction.

"You know this man?" Hiccup asked, looking between them with a confused expression on his face.

"Yes, he's…" she frowned. This was the same man who had tried to approach her, for whatever nefarious reason, when she was at the tavern. Did he follow her into the night? Track her down? She daren't to think for what reason.

"You…" the man began, his speech slightly slurred, taking another step towards Astrid.

"He's got blood on his hands," she said, her eyes flickering to the man's hands before returning to his face. "He must be the beast."

"The beast?" Hiccup asked, glancing at her, perturbed. "Are you sure?"

The man looked between them, seeming to only barely register what they were saying.

"Just trust me on this," she said, stepping forward and raising her sword up, ready to smite the man where he stood.

Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind. Her cloak caught in Toothless' teeth, he dragged her backwards as something sprang from the bushes and tore into the man's body.

She felt a small scream escape her lips as she crashed into the ground, and heard the sound of an arrow being released. She looked up just in time to see a creature howl in pain as the arrow embedded itself in its shoulder, the man dropping from its jaws. It was so gaunt, this creature, that she could not fathom how she thought the man from the tavern could have been it. Merely bones and dying skin pulled tightly over them. Just as Hiccup had described: the creature emanated hunger.

It turned, looking at her with sunken, dark eyes, blood dripping from its mouth.

She struggled to her feet, as Hiccup released another arrow, but the creature caught his one with a long fingered hand. It roared, turned, and fled.

Astrid gripped her sword tighter, her breathing labored. "You okay?" Hiccup asked, hurrying over to her. "It didn't get you, did it?"

"I'm fine," she said, breathlessly. "That was… I've never seen anything like that before."

"Neither have I," he said. "I have no idea what it could be."

Her breathing was calming, as was her heart, but her nerves were still rattled. She turned to look at Toothless. "Thank you," she whispered earnestly. "You saved my life."

The dragon merely blinked at her, but she could have sworn he looked happy.

"Well, if you're fine, we should investigate what that man was getting into," Hiccup said. "And then we should go after the beast."

"Good idea," she agreed, walking with shaky steps towards the place where the man had emerged from. She walked around a bush, closing her eyes, the stench overpowering her. "Found it," she said, her voice strained.

Hiccup founded the corner behind her, his hand to his nose. "Looks like this creature has a habit of eating humans," he said, stating the obvious.

"We should bury them," she replied quietly.

"I'd love to, but we don't have the time," Hiccup said. "And we don't need the distraction. The best could be back at any moment. It didn't get a chance to eat these properly, or the man back there."

"Which means it might be back," Astrid said, "To finish the meal."

"And to get dessert," Hiccup said grimly. "I know just the thing."

"Oh?' she asked, looking at him in surprise.

"Yeah," he grinned at her. "I caught animals for a living, remember? Monsters can't be _that_ different."

* * *

 **Third chapter finished! Thank you all SO much for reading this far! Next chapter: Hiccup and Astrid capture the beast… and make an ally?**

 **So sorry I wasn't able to respond to any reviews for last chapter… been swamped with life. I'll hopefully be able to keep up with a regular update schedule, but I'm afraid at this time I cannot promise a response to every review. I wish I could respond to everyone every time, but it takes so much time that I would rather spend getting my stories ready to post, so I'm actually able to.**

 **Regardless of this, I encourage you to review anyway. I read every review I get, and they really help motivate me to keep writing and posting! If I have the chance I'll try to respond :)**

 **Thanks so much!**

 **See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

Astrid stood quietly, sword at the ready. She needed her wits about her if she was going to survive this. And she _would._ She could not die now—not when her quest lay before her and all that depended on it rested on her shoulders. She glanced over at the other side of the dell and made eye contact with Hiccup. He gave a short nod. Everything was ready, all that was left was for the beast to arrive and claim its meal.

It did not take long. It seemed the beast's hunger drove it to ignore reason. It came into the clearing, dragging long nails on the ground, a soft desperate growl escaping its lips like water steaming from a boiling kettle, although its cracked, dry lips barely moved. It approached the pile of bodies, and when it reached it, it began to tear into them with vigor, shredding the carcasses with tooth and claw alike, as if slicing through butter. Astrid closed her eyes, nausea overcoming her for a moment. She opened them and made eye contact again with Hiccup. Again, he nodded, and she swung her sword, cutting the rope beside her as Hiccup cut his end.

The beast shrieked as the make-shift net sprang up, catching it in a tangle. Knowing it would not keep it entrapped for long, Astrid dashed forward as Hiccup released arrows from his bow. Astrid thrust her sword into the beast's chest, but it seemed to do little to nothing against its writhing, furious form, save for making the creature shriek with pain and anger.

"I'm running out of arrows!" Hiccup shouted, running towards them. "Toothless, plasma blast!"

Toothless bounded out of the shadows, his pupils contracted into dangerous slits, heading for the beast.

"Wait!" Astrid shouted, "The net—!"

It was too late. The beast was hit with a hot flame, searing its skin and burning the ropes as it did. The creature sprang free and Toothless rushed forward, sinking his teeth into its neck to prevent it from reaching Astrid and Hiccup.

It was then that Astrid spotted something dangling around its neck. Some kind of large animal tooth attached by a string. "The necklace!" she shouted.

"What?" Hiccup asked, before he too noticed it.

"It's wearing a necklace," Astrid said. Her eyes widened, thinking back to their conversation the night before. She sprang forward, coming up close to the beast, close enough to be ensnared in its long, diseased claws, as Hiccup yelled for her to get away. She grabbed the necklace, pulling it away from the beast's neck, breaking the cord as she did. In his shock at what happened afterward, Toothless let go of the beast, backing up away from it as quickly as he could. Astrid did as well, for the beast began to convulse on the ground, seeming to shrink and grow at the same time. It shrunk in overall size, but seemed to fill out, growing muscle and fat, its skin becoming healthy and strong.

"What…the…" Hiccup came up beside her, staring down at the creature in shock.

Finally, what was left was no beast at all, but the form of a shivering, naked man.

"He _was_ human," Hiccup said, awed. "I'm glad we didn't kill him."

The man looked up, brown eyes meeting theirs. "Who… what… who are you?"

Astrid and Hiccup shared a meaningful look, before Astrid knelt down and asked, "What is your name?"

"Eret…" the man said, struggling into a sitting position. He looked around and noticed the bodies surrounding him. "Oh… oh gods… did I—?"

"You did," Astrid said, not wanting to protect the man from the horror, watching as he shuddered. "But it appears we've stopped you from doing it anymore."

"You haven't stopped anything," Eret said as he attempted to stand. His legs collapsed beneath him, and Astrid and Hiccup hurried to his side to aide him. "You've just… temporarily stopped it."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

"The tooth," Eret said. "Without it around my neck, I won't turn into that… _thing_ , but…"

"What do you mean, 'the tooth'?" Hiccup asked. "How does that dragon's tooth have anything to do with… _this?_ And how is _this_ even possible?"

"It's a curse, isn't it?" Astrid asked, feeling that her suspicions had been correct.

Eret nodded, finally making it to his feet. "It's punishment," was all he said, with the gravity of a man whose life had ended.

"So…without the necklace around your neck, you won't turn into a…whatever that monster was—but you're still cursed?" Hiccup asked.

Eret nodded again. "Thank you both for taking it off," he said, but he said the words to Astrid.

"How do you break this… this curse?" Hiccup asked, as if he were still having difficulty believing the concept. Astrid did not quite blame him for his lack of belief. If she didn't know about _them,_ she wouldn't have believed in curses either.

"You have to go to The North," Astrid said.

Eret looked at her in surprise. "That's right," he said. "But I've never made it—I was always too… hungry."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it anymore," Hiccup said. "Astrid is going to The North—so you can go along with her."

"Yes," Astrid said, nodding firmly. She gave Eret a warm smile, hoping that he could find it in himself to trust her. Having a companion on her journey would be useful—and pleasant—even if it was someone who could turn into a man eating monster at the drop of a hat.

"And who are—" Eret paused, looking down at himself. "I'm—ah… _naked."_

Astrid looked downwards, and quickly away. "I'll go get some clothes," she said, letting go of Eret. "Hiccup, bring him to water and… get him cleaned up. I'll be back shortly."

"Right," Hiccup said, leading Eret and Toothless away.

"Wait—the necklace!" Eret said, stopping her as she began to walk towards the settlement.

"What about it?" Astrid asked, turning to face him, tooth in hand.

"Don't take it with you," he said, "I have to keep it near me."

"But—"

"It's…it's part of the curse," Eret said. "I can't leave it behind."

"Oh," Astrid walked back and handed it him. He took it with a severe force, both as if it were precious to him and terrible. "Don't put it on," she told him.

"I won't," he promised, with a wry grin that did not quite reach his eyes.

She watched them leave, before turning and beginning the long walk back to the homestead. She walked quickly, although her body was begging for rest. She finally reached it, and like before, there were men outside, lounging in a drunken state. She ignored them and walked into the tavern quickly.

There was a hushed silence as she entered, and Chatley came forward. "Well, did you kill whatever it was?"

"I…" she frowned. "Yes," she lied, "I killed it."

"Well, where is it?"

"I buried it in the woods," she replied, hoping that would end the conversation.

"Then how do we know you did it?" another man demanded loudly.

"You'll just have to take my word on it. Is Grega here?" she asked.

"What's going on?" the loud booming voice said as the woman in question entered the hall. "Ah, you again, girl. Well, I must say I'm glad you've come back alive. What do you need?"

"Food, provisions, and some clothes," Astrid replied.

"Aye, you've got it," Grega said. "Come with me."

Astrid followed her out of the hall. "I will pay you," Astrid said.

"If you insist," Grega replied. "I'll see if Elana has any spare clothes—she's about your size."

"I need men's clothing as well," Astrid said. "I picked up a traveler who was attacked by the beast. He's the one who needs clothes."

Grega eyed her. "Very well then. Then I supposed you need quite a bit of food."

"Yes," Astrid agreed.

In a short time, Astrid bought the clothes, food and provisions needed, and was set to leave. She said farewell to Grega, wondering if she would ever see the woman again, and set off towards Hiccup, Eret and Toothless.

* * *

"So…" Hiccup said, standing at the bank of the river, his back turned to Eret. "How exactly did you turn into a… whatever that was?"

"It is a punishment," was Eret's reply.

"Yeah, no, I got that part," Hiccup said. "I mean, why?"

Eret emerged from the water, shivering slightly. He spent a large amount of time in the stream, even after he had managed to get the blood off himself. He crouched beside the fire Hiccup had made, and Toothless slid up to him, his body keeping the man warm. "Where are you from?" Hiccup asked.

"Móhhtaga," Eret replied.

"Móhhtaga? That's… _in_ the north," Hiccup said. "How'd you get all the way to Berk?"

Eret shrugged. "Much of what has happened since I was cursed has been a blur. I just followed my… victims."

"Hey," Hiccup walked forward, crouching down beside Eret. "We'll get you to the north again. You'll get rid of this curse—and go home."

Eret shook his head. "I don't think I can _go_ home. Not after what has happened."

"And what…" the look on Eret's face silenced Hiccup. "Well, regardless. We'll be able to get rid of this curse, at least. We're heading north too, you see."

"What for?" Eret asked, still warming his hands by the fire.

Hiccup opened his mouth, and promptly shut it. "Not quite sure. You'd have to ask Astrid. And she's quite tight lipped about it."

"Are you and her…" Eret paused. "What is your relation to her?"

"Met her a little more than a day ago," Hiccup said. "Knocked her out with a branch. We were both tracking you."

"And you both decided to randomly go north?" Eret asked, giving him a bemused look.

Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm back," a clear voice called out, as Astrid emerged from the trees. Eret quickly positioned himself so his offending parts were not visible to her. Hiccup rose and met her, taking some of her load.

"Here," Astrid said as she approached Eret, handing him his clothes. "These should fit you—I believe. I also got provisions for the journey. You and I are going to go to The North together, we should be prepared," she told Eret.

"We're going too," Hiccup said, "Toothless and I."

Toothless whirled excitedly.

Astrid turned to look at him, large blue eyes wide with surprise, before looking at Toothless. She looked back at Hiccup and smiled softly. Her smile softened and warmed her features, and caused his heart to skip a beat. "Where do you come from?" she asked, returning her attention to Eret.

"Móhhtaga," Eret said.

"That far north?" Astrid asked, surprised. "I suppose I should have guessed. What cursed you?"

"You don't seem shocked I was cursed," Eret said.

"No," Astrid said, shaking her head slowly. "I know very well the way of curses and those that cast them."

Eret and Hiccup were silent for a moment, before Eret spoke. "To be honest, I'm not even sure. The gods… the ancestors… _something_ did. All I know is why."

"You never did explain," Hiccup said.

"I'd rather not talk about it," the man replied as he finished dressing.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Astrid said, "Should we eat? The animals are out and about again. After that we should do something with the bodies."

"I'm not hungry," Eret said, sitting by the fire again, staring at the flame. "But I'll help bury the bodies."

Astrid and Hiccup shared a look, before Astrid walked around the fire and knelt by Eret's side. "I know how you must feel—or at least, I think I can understand what you must be feeling," she said. "But you have to keep your strength up."

"I've eaten… _people,"_ Eret said, looking at her with haunted eyes. "And you!" he turned back to look at Hiccup. "I've seen you before. I've eaten people you probably cared about. Why either of you are being kind to me—I just… I don't think I can eat for a while."

"It wasn't you," Hiccup said. "I mean, yeah, I fully intended to kill you, but that was before I found out you were a person who was… cursed," he still could not quite believe the fact that the concept was real. But, he supposed, dragons were just a myth to most people. Why couldn't curses be real as well? "It's not your fault."

"If only you knew…" Eret muttered.

"It's alright," Astrid said, placing a gloved hand on his. "Nothing will happen anymore. As long as you don't wear the tooth around your neck, right?"

Eret nodded.

"Well, then," Astrid said, straightening. "We best eat and be on our way. There's no use wasting time."

"Good plan," Hiccup said. "Where exactly are we going?"

"The North Pole," Astrid and Eret said in unison.

Hiccup glanced between them, curiosity rising. "That's where you _both_ are going?"

"Yes," Astrid said quietly.

The implications bit at Hiccup's mind, and he found himself needing to know exactly why Astrid was going to the same place Eret was. Why her quest's destination was the same place a curse could be lifted. But he knew she would not answer if pressed for an answer, so instead he said, "Well, then, looks like we have a long journey ahead of us. I'll go hunt. Astrid, Eret, collect some berries and nuts. We should stock up. We'll meet back here at nightfall."

"Right," Eret stood and put out the fire. "Let's go, Astrid."

"Right behind you," she said, following him into the trees.

Hiccup watched them go, before looking at Toothless. The dragon was giving him a knowing look. "Don't look at me like that," he said, shoving the dragon away playfully. "There's no reason why we should go back right away. And besides, I kind of like those two. And don't try to pretend you wouldn't care if something happened to them."

The dragon snorted, following him down the riverbanks.

"It'll be fun," Hiccup said. "And maybe… maybe something will come of it."

* * *

 **And then there were three!**

 **Thanks so much for reading so far!**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

"You know, I don't like being kept in the dark," Hiccup noted from a few paces behind them.

Astrid turned to give him an amused glance.

"Daylight is coming in a few hours," Eret said from her side. "Are you getting tired?"

Astrid turned to look at him. He was walking a few steps away from her. "No," she said. "My muscles can handle more than just holding a lantern."

"Good," Eret said. "You're pretty strong."

"Is this the part where you say 'for a girl'?" Astrid asked, ready to show him exactly _how strong_ she actually was.

Eret smirked at her. "Where I come from, women have to be as strong just to be able to survive the harsh climate. I would expect no less from you."

Astrid returned his smirk, "Then I think I'd fit in nicely."

Hiccup caught up to them, falling into step on the other side of Astrid. "What are you two talking about?" he asked.

"Strength," Astrid said. "Something you'd know nothing about."

Even in the luminescent darkness, she could see Hiccup's face was taut and tight-lipped. She chuckled as he muttered something about being perfectly strong, when all four stopped suddenly after hearing a twig snap in the brush.

"Remind me why we're not traveling during the day?" Eret asked.

"There are many villages in this area—people could be wondering about—we don't' want Toothless discovered," Hiccup said in a hushed whisper.

"I know _why_ , it was a rhetori—"

"Shh," Astrid interrupted, when another twig snapped. Then, suddenly, a fox ran out into the path, pausing for a moment in panic to stare at them, before scurrying along on its way.

"It was just a fox," Astrid breathed out, letting the tension that had built up release.

"How many people can Toothless fit on him?" Eret asked.

"Max? Probably two or three. But definitely not more with most of our supplies on him," Hiccup answered as they continued down the path.

Astrid shivered, pulling her cloak closer around her. She was exhausted—despite having slept during the day. Not to mention it was far chillier without the sun warming the earth. The only warmth available to them came from the lantern she carried in her hand.

"Are you cold?" Hiccup asked, concerned.

"It doesn't matter," she said.

"Maybe we should take a break," Eret said. "Start a fire and—"

"No," Astrid said firmly, "We continue on."

There was no use arguing. They continued to walk for quite some while, until suddenly they heard another twig snap.

"Another fox?" Hiccup suggested, pulling an arrow from his quiver and notching his bow regardless.

Astrid fingered her sword hilt as Eret played with the hilts of the long hunting knives he bought in a village they passed through. "Not a fox," she muttered, hearing more twigs snap.

"Whoever they are, they're tall—and heavy," Hiccup replied in a calm whisper.

Toothless emitted a small growl, looking towards the right. "Coming from the Northeast," Hiccup said, pointing his bow in that direction. Astrid drew her sword with silent expertise, placing the lantern on the ground beside her.

"No killing," Hiccup whispered.

Astrid and Eret nodded, as something emerged from the trees. It was a man, tall and reedy, with a long hooked nose and wicked looking eyes. He looked at them in surprise, before lazily drawing his own sword. "And who are you?" he sneered haughtily, gazing at them in disdain. He looked past them into the darkness to see Toothless. "A dragon?" he grinned a gruel smile. "Well, I guess I'll be killing _only three_ of you."

"Take another step and this arrow goes through your throat," Hiccup warned, aiming his bow.

"Idle threats," the man said. "Who do you think you are?"

"My name is Hiccup," Hiccup answered, his arms unwavering.

"Well, my name is Alvin the _Treacherous—_ ruler of The Outcast lands, the True King of the Wilderwest, and a lieutenant in Drago's army."

"Drago?" Astrid's eyes bulged for a moment, before she took a threatening step forward. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Got lost," he said, shrugging, "While looking for some dragons."

"Why would you need dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alvin replied, glancing at his sword with a pleased expression, before looking back at them. "Now, if you excuse me, that dragon is worth more than your three lives put together."

"Not if I kill you first," Astrid growled, having had enough of this man's pomp and grandeur. She leapt forward, Alvin quickly blocking her blow with his sword, taken aback for a moment.

"Don't think I won't kill you, cur," Alvin warned as he thrust his sword at her. She parried, knocking it away from him. He stumbled back slightly.

"Hiccup!" she called, "If he's working for Drago, we can't let him live!"

"But—"

"Do it!" she yelled, "Shoot him in the throat."

Alvin straightened shakily, "Don't do it…" he pleaded, turning his attention from Astrid to Hiccup. "Please… I'm only a simple man—Drago, he… he's _making_ me do all these horrible things…"

"He's lying," Astrid said. "If he's really the ruler of The Outcast lands, he's just as terrible as Drago."

"Please…" Alvin dropped to his knees, holding out his hands to Hiccup.

Hiccup's bow lowered slightly.

"If you won't do it…" Astrid lifted her sword above her head, ready to smite Alvin with a deadly blow.

Quick as lightning, the man grabbed his sword, swinging it through the air, slicing her side. She let out a cry, dropping to her knees and her sword at the same time, grasping her side. Alvin let out a victory cry that was quickly strangled, as an arrow lodged itself in his throat. He dropped to the ground, choking on his own blood, before he finally stilled permanently.

She heard Eret and Hiccup call out her name, as they hurried to her side.

"Are you alright?" Hiccup asked, trying to help her.

"I just got sliced," she said, breathlessly, "Of course I'm not alright."

"We have to stop the bleeding," Eret said.

"Right," Hiccup said. "We have to get your doublet off."

Astrid nodded, and allowed the men to remove her doublet and shirts, and brassiere. She shivered in the night as they laid her down on a clean blanket.

"I knew the spirits would come in handy," Eret said, fetching some things. He washed away the blood, cleaning it, and wrapped her up again. "She should be fine—as long as we can control the bleeding," he said. "But we should really stitch her up."

Astrid looked at Hiccup, who was holding onto her shoulder tightly. "How do you feel?" he asked, worry in his eyes.

"I'm…" she took in a ragged breath. "I'm tired."

"Try not to sleep," Eret told her. "Not until the bleeding has stopped. We need to get her to a healer."

"There's a village not far from here," Hiccup said. "I can ride with her on Toothless."

"Can Toothless fly with the two of you? That would be faster."

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded, "I'm sure he can."

Together, Hiccup and Eret lifted Astrid. They lifted her, wrapped in her cloak, onto Toothless' back, and Hiccup quickly got on behind her, holding her tightly. "Hold on Astrid," he whispered in her ear.

"I'll go East," Hiccup said, "We'll meet there. There should be a village called Mistofer there."

"I'll meet you there, then," Eret said.

"Will you be okay?" Hiccup asked.

"I'll be fine," Eret said. "Just worry about Astrid."

Hiccup nodded, "Let's go, Bud!"

Toothless launched himself into the air, quickly surpassing the trees and entering the dark, night sky.

* * *

Hiccup studied the ground with an intense, desperate gaze. They had passed that glen at least three times now, and still there was no sign of the village. Or any village.

"This makes no sense," he muttered. "We should have passed at least _one_ village by now."

"It's okay…" Astrid murmured in his arms. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't," he replied angrily, tightening his grip on her and adjusting her into a more comfortable position. "I don't understand what's going on."

"Look!" Astrid pointed down at the ground, and Hiccup looked down to see a small cottage in the middle of a clearing—smoke rising from a small chimney.

"I guess we'll just have to take what we can get," Hiccup said. "Down there, Bud!"

Toothless made the descent, slower than what was usual for him, to save Astrid the pain of an uncomfortable landing. They landed in the clearing and Hiccup quickly dismounted, lifting Astrid off Toothless and into his arms. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure whomever lives here can help us."

He tried to walk forward, but Astrid was too heavy, so he lowered her to the ground and walked with her leaning on him. Her breath was labored, and he could almost feel her pain and exhaustion. "It's okay," she said when he sent her a worried look. "It feels worse than it is."

"Still," he said. They reached the front door, and it opened to reveal a woman who looked so old that for a moment, Hiccup was stunned into silence.

"Children…" the ancient woman said, beckoning with a long, twisted finger, a long, sharpened, dark nail attached to it. "Come inside…"

Hiccup glanced behind them to see Toothless looking concerned. Indeed, he, himself, had his reservations. This woman looked… foul. And smelled foul too. But he couldn't risk letting Astrid's wound becoming worse, so he helped her into the cottage. The cottage itself was foul as well—though not so much as the woman herself. At the crone's indication, Hiccup helped Astrid onto the small cot.

"She was injured during a fight," Hiccup said, turning to look at the woman, "Can you help us? Can you heal her?"

The only lady traced a finger with the nail of another. "I can," she said, "But first… would you like something to drink?"

"What?" Hiccup stared at her, dumbfounded. "No—I…" he shook his head vigorously. "We just need someone to stitch her up."

"Indeed, it is a precarious situation," the old lady said. "It would be tragic if she died—such a lovely girl. And although you barely know her, I know you care for her."

"Look, can you heal her or not—" Hiccup looked at Astrid to find that she was no longer conscious. "Astrid?" he knelt quickly by her side, touching her neck, and closed his eyes in relief when he felt a pulse." This was a mistake," he said, standing. "You can't help us—we'll continue looking for a village." He got up, about to hoist Astrid into his arms, when the door slammed shut of its own volition, the sound of the lock snapping into place sending shivers down Hiccup's spine.

"How did you…"

"Surely you can guess what I am…" the woman said, gazing at him with pale grey eyes. She smiled, revealing blackened, pointed teeth.

A witch. The word fell into Hiccup's mind without much effort. He took a step so he stood between the witch and Astrid.

"Do not worry, Hiccup," the witch said, "I will not touch the maid. She will die anyway—which is all very good for me. No… the reason I brought you here today—was because I wanted to see _you."_

"See me?" Hiccup repeated warily, still gazing at the woman with uncertainty.

"You see, I _am_ a witch. A witch by the name of _Excellinor_ —and I am just an old woman, living on my own. All on my own, save for my only son."

"Son?" Hiccup echoed.

"Yes, I do believe you've met him," Excellinor narrowed her eyes.

"Alvin?" Hiccup asked, dumbstruck.

The witch's mouth widened to an impossible width, though there was no humor in it. And yet, Hiccup could see there was no maternal grief in her either. She had no love for her son.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said. "He attacked us—he was going to kill Astrid, I had no choice."

"Oh, I'm sure that isn't true," Excellinor said. "And I'm sure you're not sorry. And that grieves me, young man. I believe… you must be punished for your sins."

"I…" Hiccup took a step back, his calf hitting the cot. "Stay away from us."

"It's too late," Excellinor cackled. "The curse is already set."

"Curse?" Hiccup's hands felt numb, and he reached for his knife, having left his bow with Toothless.

"Yes… if there is anything you wish for—it is _happiness._ Happiness with a family, happiness with a love," her eyes flickered to Astrid, who had awoke due to the urgency in Hiccup's voice. "Happiness with yourself…"

"What are you talking about?" Hiccup whispered.

"My gift you, _human,_ is the curse of _unhappiness._ Never shall you find or hold onto happiness. For as long as I live. And I assure you—I shall outlive you a thousand fold."

"Hiccup…" he felt Astrid's hand sneak into his own, tugging him out of his shock. "Hiccup, we need to leave here."

"Right," he turned and grabbed her, hoisted her to her feet and dragging her towards the door. The door unlocked on its own, swinging open.

"Have fun, my dear," Excellinor said, watching them as they left her home. "You'll find it hard to find."

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, and the dragon bounded over. "We have to get out of here," he said, nearly throwing Astrid onto the dragon's back with force he did not know he possessed. He jumped on after her, grabbing her tightly to secure her, and Toothless leapt into the air. They rose far above the tree tops, and Hiccup could see a village in the distance, where he could have sworn there was only forest before.

They flew quickly in that direction, not noticing the witch's cottage disappearing from existence.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED….**

And the plot thickens! Looks like Hiccup _may actually_ now have a reason to go North with the others ;)

Thanks SO MUCH for reading!

See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6

"Thank the gods I found you," Eret said, standing in the door to the barn.

Astrid and Hiccup looked up. Astrid breathed a sigh of relief. "We were wondering if you had gotten into some kind of trouble," she said.

"No," Eret replied. "I just don't have wings."

He stepped into the barn, looking around. "This is where we're sleeping?"

"The village is kindly letting us stay here," Astrid said.

"And you're…" Eret trailed off, motioning to her side.

"Yes," Astrid said, "I'm all stitched up. I just… can't fight or move too fast for a while."

Eret let out a breath of air. "Good." He looked at Hiccup, who was sitting on a bale of hay, staring off into the distance. "Where's Toothless?"

Astrid glanced at Hiccup worriedly, before returning her gaze to Eret. "He's in the woods. We can't have the villagers spotting him."

"No," Eret agreed. "I see you bought a new doublet."

"Yes," Astrid said, looking down. "And new shirts. The others were… well, ruined." She looked at Hiccup again, reaching out and touching his shoulder.

He jumped, turning to look at her as if she was a stranger. "Yes?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You haven't seemed yourself since…"

"I'm fine," Hiccup said quickly.

"No, you're not," Eret walked up to them, sitting cross legged on some hay, so the three of them sat in a circle around a lantern. "What happened while we were separated?"

"We…found a witch's cottage," Astrid said. "A witch by the name of Excellinor."

"Haven't heard of her," Eret said.

"Neither had we," Astrid said, "Or any of the villagers we asked her in Mistofer. Anyway, turns out she was Alvin the Treacherous' mother, and to exact revenge on Hiccup for killing her son, she… cursed him."

Hiccup flinched at the word, and Eret's eyes widened. "She did what?"

"She cursed him… so that he would never find happiness," Astrid said.

There was a long silence, before Eret said, hesitantly, "Oh. That's a pretty serious curse."

"She's the only one who can release me from it," Hiccup said hollowly. "But she's never going to."

After the long silence that followed, Eret said, "The fairies could."

"The fairies?" Hiccup asked, looking up.

"Yes, the inhabitants of The North. They are the most powerful creatures in all the Wilderwest. If anyone can break the curse, they can," Eret explained.

Astrid frowned. "I don't trust fairies," she said. "They're unpredictable—and they're… dangerous."

"I agree," Eret said. "But what other choice does he have?"

"Well, that settles it," Hiccup said. "I guess I have no choice but to go to The North."

Astrid laid a hand on his. "It'll be okay, Hiccup," she said quietly. "We'll find a way to relinquish the curse."

He did not look at her, just at her hand on top of his.

"I'm going to fetch some water from the well," Eret said, standing, grabbing the drinking bucket and leaving the barn, closing the door behind him.

Astrid waited a good long while, before tightening her hold on Hiccup's hand. "Thank you, Hiccup."

"For what?" he asked, turning his head to look at her in surprise.

"For saving me," she said. "If it wasn't for me—you wouldn't have been cursed and—"

"No," Hiccup interrupted. "Excellinor would have found a way to curse me somehow. It didn't matter where or what the circumstances were, all that mattered was that I killed her son."

Astrid hesitated for a moment. "That was the first time you've killed a human, wasn't it?"

Hiccup nodded mutely.

"It's alright, Hiccup. He was going to kill me—maybe all of us. You had no choice."

"There's always a choice. And I see now the cost was too great."

She squeezed his hand again, and he turned to look at her. She could see the fear in his eyes. "You _will_ find happiness, Hiccup. I know it."

She struggled to stand, and sat next to him on his bale of hay, her hand finding his again. "Thank you, for saving my life. I won't forget it."

He looked at her, and she suddenly realized how close their faces were. "I would do it again," he whispered.

She blinked a few times, and his hand removed itself from hers, touching her cheek, his thumb a hair's breadth from her lips. He leaned forward, hesitantly, his lips inches, then centimeters, from hers. She closed her eyes, readying herself, when the door to the barn opened, and Eret's booming voice could be heard.

"I bought some bread and cheese too, thought we could eat some for… supper…" he trailed off, staring at them as Astrid moved away from Hiccup slightly, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. He blinked, and continued into the barn. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Hiccup said. "She was just…"

"I was just making sure Hiccup was alright," Astrid finished.

"Well," Eret place the pail of water on the ground. "Then let's eat."

* * *

"I'm not sure I'm fond of these Wild Lands," Eret said as they trekked through the long grass. "There's isn't a soul in sight."

"No," Astrid agreed from Toothless' back. "Humans don't generally live here."

"Then why are _we_ traveling through here?"

"It's the fastest and most direct route," Hiccup answered.

"Well, I can't argue with that," Eret muttered, looking around.

"Do you hear that?" Hiccup stopped suddenly, Toothless not far behind.

Astrid cocked her head. "Hear what?" she asked.

" _That,"_ Hiccup swiveled his head around, looking with a strange sort of urgency for a sound Astrid could not hear.

"I'm not sure—oh," Eret paused, "I think I hear it too."

" _What_ are you two talking about?" Astrid demanded, before, slowly, she could hear it as well. Some sort of song, a melody of sorts. It caused her mind to grow numb, some primal instinct coming over her.

Toothless jerked his head around to look at her, and she blinked slowly as she tried to clear her mind. Toothless jumped slightly, and the pain the jump caused to her side launched her out of her stupor. "What?" she asked, blinking rapidly. She looked around and saw that neither Eret nor Hiccup could be seen, and Toothless was walking off with her on top of him. She swore, "Where did they go, Toothless?" she asked.

Toothless snorted slightly, and then started bounding off, taking her along with him. She grunted in pain with each bound, and she realized that the ground was becoming wetter. They were in a marshland. "Look! Up ahead!" she said, pointing. Toothless let out a yowl as he sunk into the ground slightly. The ground was becoming muddier now. Hiccup and Eret were standing a ways off, knee deep in water. "You grab Eret!" she said, hopping down with a painful wince. "I'll get Hiccup."

She waded into the water, but stopped when she realized that Hiccup and Eret were not alone. A figure was standing before them, hands outstretched, beckoning them to follow. It was the figure of a maid—skin so pale it was almost luminescent, long dark hair falling in waves down her back, sparkling pale green eyes shone with a strange sort of glow. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out.

A nymph, Astrid realized with a shock.

Toothless reached Eret first, grabbing the back of his tunic with his teeth and dragging him backwards towards the shore. Astrid hurried forward. The nymph seemed unperturbed that one of her victims had been taken away. She now reached both hands out to Hiccup, and he was slowly, without hesitation, placing his own in hers. She began to lead him deeper into the marsh water. Astrid swore again, finally reached him and pulling him back. The nymph hissed, but Astrid ignored her, still pulling Hiccup away. His hands dropped the nymphs', but she had begun her singing again, and Hiccup was struggling against Astrid's pull. Suddenly Toothless was there, grabbing Hiccup's coat with his teeth and pulling him away. Astrid stopped, knee deep in murky water, breathing heavily and clutching her side. She wondered for a moment if she opened her sutures.

Suddenly, Astrid heard the melody again. Dazed, her hand dropped away from her side, and she turned to look at the nymph. Now hearing the song, the nymph seemed more beautiful than Astrid could comprehend. The nymph smiled at her, holding out her hands for Astrid to take. Astrid reached out slowly, struggling internally against a closing wall that she could not understand.

 _No! She had to fight…_

She took the nymph's hands, and the water maiden began walking backwards, leading Astrid into deeper water.

Astrid could hear her name being called, and splashing, but she ignored it. All that mattered was the beauty and serenity of the nymph. Her silken black hair—her soft glowing skin—her luscious red lips. The water was up to Astrid's neck, and the nymph was laying her hands on either side of Astrid's face. Her face drew nearer, and Astrid found it difficult to focus on anything other than her singing lips.

The splashing grew louder, her name spoken louder and more urgently behind her. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and Astrid awoke from the spell. She could clearly hear Hiccup and Eret shouting her name, when the nymph leaned forward, kissing Astrid hard on the lips, and dragging her under the water.

* * *

Astrid opened her eyes, sitting up suddenly and looking around. She was somewhere dark—and yet there were many eerie blue lanterns lit. Somewhere damp, and yet not musty. She reached for her sword, but found it was gone. That's right, she left her sword with her things on Toothless, not attached to her belt. She instead reached for her knife, but it was missing from its sheath.

"Looking for this?"

Astrid's head whipped towards the speaker, and saw the nymph standing before her. She was just as beautiful as before, but her glow had dimmed. She looked more real, and less… alluring. And she was holding Astrid's hunting knife.

"Give it back," Astrid sprang from the bed, and frowned, touching her side.

"Oh, yes," the nymph said, walking forward with slow, sultry steps, her hips swaying beneath sheer silk, "I have some healing magic. You're welcome."

"Why did you heal me?" Astrid asked.

"Why?" the nymph stopped. Her voice lost all its sultriness, gaining a more normal tone. "Because you were injured."

"I though you—I thought nymphs ate their victims," Astrid asked, as the nymph began her slow, methodical approach again.

"Oh. Yes, we do," the nymph agreed. "But you're different than the usual sort I catch. I have no intentions to _eat_ _you."_

Astrid raised her eyebrows at this. "What plans _do_ you have for me?"

The nymph shrugged her shoulders. "I am lonely," she said. "I do not plan on forcing you to do anything. You may leave if you wish. But I would like company for a short while. The warmth of a lover is quite welcoming in these dark depths."

Astrid's brows rose higher. "I…" she hesitated. "I'm flattered, I'm sure. But I'm afraid I can't stay here. I'm on a quest, you see."

"A quest?" the nymph paused, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes," Astrid said, hurriedly. "I'm going to The North, and I don't have time to be… here talking to you."

"We don't have to talk," the nymph said, moving the last few feet so she stood just before her.

"I don't have time to be your lover, either," Astrid said, feeling her face heat up at the close proximity of the water maid.

"Is it because you have eyes for the tall, gangly boy?" the nymph asked.

"I…"

The nymph smiled. "Can't you forget him and stay here with me?"

"I'm afraid I don't want to leave because of Hiccup. It's because… I have an important quest to finish," Astrid said, reaching for the knife. She took it from the nymph.

"How disappointing," the nymph said. She turned and walked a short ways away. "I'm Heather, by the way."

"Astrid," Astrid replied, sheathing her knife, looking around for an exit. "How do I get out of here?"

"You don't," Heather replied, "Not without my permission."

"And you're not going to give me that?" Astrid asked. "Fine. I'll fight my way out."

Heather eyed her dubiously, and said, "I'll freely let you go, if…" she walked up to Astrid again. "If you stay here with me, just for one night."

Astrid's face heated up again, and said, "I am a maiden of honor, seductress. I cannot give away my virtue, even to you."

"So honorable," the nymph smiled. "Tell me, what is your home like?"

"My home?" Astrid blinked, surprised by the personal question.

"I rarely can leave my marsh," Heather frowned. "I cannot go far from water."

"Well, my home is in Berk. I am a daughter of a lord there," Astrid paused. "I have a sister."

"A sister? Does she look like you?"

"I've been told we are difficult to tell apart," Astrid said.

"Hmm…" Heather said, thinking. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me? You'll be comfortable."

"No, I'm afraid I really must be going…"

"Pity," Heather said. "I'm so lonely. No one ever comes by here—and when they do, they're often so boring or ugly all they're good for is eating."

"Well, I'm honored you find me exempt from that, but—"

Heather leaned forward, and Astrid was suddenly very aware of the woman's lips. She suddenly wanted to know what it would be like to kiss the nymph. She had never kissed anyone before—the kiss that brought her down to this place notwithstanding—and this woman was by far the fairest creature Astrid had ever seen.

The nymph paused, waiting for Astrid to make the first move. Astrid decided she owed the water maid that much, at least, for healing her. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Heather's. Astrid's eyes widened slightly in shock, as the nymph deepened the kiss. For a moment, Astrid thought about forgetting her virtue, to give into temptation.

She _had_ enjoyed it. Wanted it to continue. To go further. But her quest was too important. She needed to get back. She gently took Heather by the arms and gently moved her away, separating them. The nymph smiled at her.

"I _have_ to go back to the surface," Astrid said. "If I don't complete my quest, someone very important to me could die."

The nymph raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Is that so?" she asked. "Well, I suppose I could let you go… if you promise to visit me again."

"I promise," Astrid said quickly.

The nymph smiled. "Thank you." She walked forward, singing a song, and Astrid's eyes grew hazy again. She felt Heather press her lips against hers again, and suddenly all was dark.

* * *

"Astrid!"

She woke with a start, sitting up. She was sitting in water, shallow, only an inch deep, with marsh grass all around her.

Hiccup appeared by her side, placing a hand on the back of her head as she coughed up some water. "Are you alright?" he asked. "We were looking everywhere for you—how did you escape?"

"I…" Astrid began, trying to catch her breath. She looked around. They were nowhere near where she had been captured. Heather must have brought her somewhere else.

"There you are!" Eret's relieved voice came into earshot, and Astrid looked up to see him walking towards them. "Thank the gods…"

"How are your sutures?" Hiccup asked.

"They're fine, she healed me," Astrid said.

"Healed you?" Hiccup repeated. "You mean…"

Astrid stood, "Yeah, she… didn't want to kill me."

"So why did she drag you under?" Eret asked.

"She…" Astrid's face colored. "She wanted to… be lovers."

"Oh," Hiccup and Eret said in unison.

After a moment of silence, where Astrid touched her lips with a smile on her face, in fond memory of what her lips had experienced, which left, no doubt, little to Eret and Hiccup's imaginations, she said, "Well, we should probably go."

"Yeah," Hiccup said, an amused look on his face, "I guess we should."

Together, the three of them walked away towards the shore, where Toothless was waiting.

* * *

 **I bet you thought it would be Eret or** _ **Hiccup**_ **who would be "seduced" by the water nymph ;)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **See you soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

They trekked in silence through the grasslands. They were on the edges of a forest, but all three of the humans of their party had heard enough of these woods to know not to enter. The Dark Woods was notorious for getting travelers lost. Yet another reason humans rarely inhabited or traveled in The Wild Lands.

Astrid yawned. "Do you think we should break for camp soon?" she asked.

"No," Hiccup said, "There's still half an hour of light left."

Astrid nodded, before glancing at the trees. She saw a flash of white, and paused in her steps.

"Hey," Eret said, bumping into her from behind. "Look, we're all tired but—"

"Did you see that?" Astrid asked, pointing at the trees.

"I don't see anything," Hiccup said, stopping as well.

Eret looked at the trees, narrowing his eyes as he focused. Suddenly, he jumped in shock. "Sila!" he said suddenly, as if seeing a ghost, and he dashed forward, disappearing into the woods.

"Eret!" Hiccup and Astrid yelled in unison, quickly following him. They passed the tree line, looking around for any clue as to where the man could have gone.

"Do you see him?" Astrid asked.

"No," Hiccup replied, turning around in a circle. "I—who's that?"

"Who's what?" Astrid asked, alarmed, looking in the direction Hiccup was pointing, only to find that there was no one there.

"A fairy!" Hiccup yelled, leaping forward. "Come back!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out, trying to follow him, but he was too quick and too used to traveling quickly over underbrush, and she lost him. She swore loudly, looking around, wondering if she should leave and find Toothless, or if she should—

"Astrid!"

It was a woman's voice, a familiar voice. "Alfhild?" Astrid asked, startled.

Then, another flash of white. Creamy silken clothes, just like her sister was wearing when… "Alfhild!" Astrid cried out, leaping forward after her sister. Her sister laughed and ran farther into the woods. "Alfhild, come back!" Astrid shouted, following as quickly as she could. But the faster she ran, the faster Alfhild ran, her long, loose blonde hair a stream behind her. She was laughing—that laugh that warmed Astrid on even the chilliest days. "Alfhild!" Astrid said, stopping when she lost sight of her sister. "No…"

"Over here!" she heard her sister laugh, and Astrid spun around a few times, trying to gauge which direction the voice was coming from. "Alfhild, come out and stop playing games!" Astrid demanded.

"Come get me!"

" _Alfhild!"_ Astrid yelled. She saw a flurry of white again, and set off as fast as she could. "Alfhild, I thought you were dead!"

"I'm not," came a voice from nearby.

Astrid spun around to see her sister standing before her. She was wearing a dress of white silk, her golden hair loose down her back, the blue eyes she shared with Astrid sparkling. "But they took you," Astrid whispered. "The fairies took you."

"I'm here, aren't I? Standing before you…" Alfhild smiled.

"But I can _feel_ the cold," Astrid clutched at her chest. "I can feel The North Wind. The ice."

Alfhild laughed. "Do you believe that? I'm standing right before you. You found me, Astrid. Now you can take me home."

Astrid blinked, smiling. "Then come with me, Alfhild," she said, reaching out a gloved hand.

"You have to catch me first," Alfhild laughed, turning and running off through the trees.

"Wait!" Astrid called out, "Come back!" She hurried after her sister, not noticing that she was traveling deeper and deeper into The Dark Woods.

* * *

Eret stormed through the trees, calling out Silaluk's name. Then he saw her, her small black braids bouncing behind her as she ran on chubby little legs.

"Sila!" he shouted, but he could not gain her attention. He dashed after her, but no matter how fast he ran, he could not catch up to her. She seemed to elude him at every turn. "Sila, stop! It's your father!"

But she could not hear him—or was perhaps just ignoring him.

 _No, she never ignored him—_ came a nasty little thought inside his head. He pushed it out quickly.

 _There was another reason,_ the cruel voice continued.

"Sila!" He crashed through the underbrush, but his daughter was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, frantically searching for any signs of her.

"Papa!"

He spun around, and saw her dash behind a tree. "Find me, Papa!" she cried out, giggling.

He ran up to the tree, rounding it only to find that she was gone. "Sila, stop playing games!" he called out. "Please, come to me."

"You'll have to find me first," his daughter giggled.

 _She's not there…_ his subconscious reminded him.

"Shut up," he muttered, jumping a log and looking around. There she was. He set off after her.

 _You know she's not there…_

"Sila!" he shouted.

"Papa!" It was distant, and its distance caused panic inside him.

"Sila, wait for me!" he called out, hurrying after the echoing sound of her voice.

* * *

Hiccup hurried after the fairy, for what else could she be? "Wait!" he called out, "I need you!"

"You need me?" she said from behind him.

He thundered to a stop, turning around to look at her.

She stood tall—taller than he, with long brown hair and grey eyes. She had sharp cheeks, and an angled nose. Her ears were pointed, and she had a set of dazzling wings. She seemed to sparkle in the dark light. "You're a fairy, aren't you?" he asked.

"Of course I'm a fairy," she replied, a chuckle interwoven in her words. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Then you can release me from my curse," he said. "The witch, Excellinor, she cursed me—"

The fairy laughed. A long, melodious, unkind laugh. "What a simple boy," she said, gazing at him with sharp, cruel eyes. "Why should I realize you from your curse? You deserve it, don't you?"

"What?" Hiccup stood there, stunned into silence and stillness for a moment. "What do you—"

"You… _killed_ a man," she took a step towards him. "Killed a man in cold blood."

"No…" he shook his head. "He was going to kill Astrid—he attacked her—he nearly killed her—"

"But it's not like you," she took another step. "Taking another human's life… that's not your way. How can you have any honor?"

"I…"

"Of course, I forgot," she laughed that cruel, melodious laugh again. "You don't have any honor. The bastard orphan. Even your own parents didn't want you."

"Shut up," Hiccup said, clenching his fists.

"You know I'm right," she said. "Unwanted by anyone. Forgotten by all. You were cursed before the witch, human. You just didn't have permission to believe it."

"Shut up!" Hiccup lunged at her, drawing his knife, but the fairy disappeared. He stood where she did, looking around, when Excellinor appeared before him. He felt rage fill him.

He lunged at the witch, aiming his blows to kill.

* * *

Astrid ran after her sister, but suddenly, her sister was gone. There was no sign, no laughing, no calling of her name, no teasing. "Alfhild?" she called out. Nothing. She ran quickly, until she passed a tree and saw…

"You!" she yelled out, shocked.

Standing before her was a fairy—the very fairy that took her sister. Tall, with long brown hair and high cheekbones, Queen Angharad gazed back at her with cruel grey eyes. "Me, indeed," she said. "Have you come to kill me, human? _Do you think you have it in you?"_

Astrid drew her sword. "I will defeat you," she growled. "I _will_ rescue my sister."

"It will come at a cost," Angharad said, and a knife appeared in her hand. "You know, this quest will cost you your life."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" Astrid jumped forward, swinging her sword.

* * *

Eret stopped, clutching his head.

 _She's gone…_ his subconscious reminded him. _You know this. You_ _ **did**_ _this._

"Sila, come back…" he whispered.

 _She won't come back… not after what_ _ **you**_ _did to her… you_ _ **monster…**_

"It wasn't me…" Eret muttered to himself. "It was the curse."

 _It was still you… it was because of your sins… she died at_ _ **your**_ _hands… you ripped your teeth into her—_

Eret groaned. And then stood, his eyes still closed. "It's just an illusion," he told himself. "She's not really here."

He opened his eyes, whatever spell upon him gone. He let out a long breath, and looked around. "Hiccup? Astrid?"

He heard a warble, and looked behind him to see Toothless there. "Toothless…" he said, "That's where you were. Think you can find the others?"

Toothless wiggled slightly, before bounding away, Eret in close pursuit. He heard the sound of metal hitting metal. "Hurry, Toothless!" he shouted, rounding a corner, and he stopped, eyes wide.

It was a fight, indeed, but it was not Hiccup and Astrid against he might forces of the forest, but Hiccup and Astrid against _each other._ For a moment, he just stood there, stunned, as his two companions attacked each other. Hiccup was, interestingly, holding his own well against Astrid. He paused, to nock an arrow on his bow, aiming to kill her. "Toothless!" Eret yelled, "Get Hiccup!"

Toothless leapt forward and slammed into Hiccup, knocking him to the ground. The arrow whizzed past Astrid's head. She leapt forward, heading towards the fallen Hiccup, when Eret grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. "Astrid!" he said in her ear, "It's not real! It's Hiccup!"

She struggled against him with strength he did not think capable in her small form, but eventually, she stilled. "Eret?" she whispered.

"Yes, it's me," he replied gently.

"Hiccup… oh gods… did I kill him?" she was looking over at Hiccup, who was lying unconscious on the ground, Toothless sniffing him worriedly.

"No, that was Toothless' work," Eret said, letting go of Astrid.

She ran over to Hiccup, dropping to her knees and checking his pulse. "He's okay, he's just sleeping," she said.

"Good," Eret walked over, peering down at Hiccup.

The man in question moaned slightly, opening his eyes and blinking blearily up at them. "Astrid? Eret? Oh gods… I feel _terrible…"_

"You can thank Toothless for that, _and_ this forest," Eret said.

"Where did Excellinor go?" Hiccup asked, sitting up.

"Excellinor?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah, I was fighting her—quite spry for an old lady," Hiccup said.

"You were fighting Astrid," Eret said.

"I was?" Hiccup looked at Astrid, alarmed. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," Astrid shook her head. "Did I hurt you?"

"I honestly can't tell," he replied. "But I don't think so. What do you think _I_ was?"

"Angharad?" Astrid said.

"Angharad?" Hiccup frowned. "Who's that?"

"Queen of the fairies," Eret said. "Why would you fight against her?"

"She's the… she's the reason I'm on this quest," Astrid said. "She kidnapped my sister. Did anyone else… have a vision?"

"I saw a fairy," Hiccup said. "She wasn't very nice."

"I saw my sister," Astrid said. "I don't know why I thought she was really here… I know she's in The North…" Astrid's hand touched her chest, directly over her heart, for a moment, before it fell back into her lap. "What about you, Eret?"

Eret took in a deep breath, gazing at Astrid, and then Hiccup. "I saw my daughter."

"Your daughter?" both Astrid and Hiccup stared at him in stunned silence. "You never mentioned a daughter before," Hiccup said.

"Because I don't have one anymore," Eret replied.

"You mean…" Hiccup began.

"Oh," Astrid said softly. "Because of—"

"My curse," Eret folded his arms across his chest. "She was one of my first victims."

Astrid stood, placing a hand on Eret's arm. "I'm so sorry, Eret. But you have to know it wasn't your fault. It was whomever placed this curse on you."

Eret smiled sadly at her. "If only I could believe that."

"Don't worry," Hiccup stood, "I know we'll make it to The North. We survived this helhole. There's no reason why we can't—"

A twig snapped, and the three of them started in surprise, drawing their weapons and spinning around. "Not an illusion," Astrid said. "We all heard the same thing, right?"

"It could just be an animal," Hiccup said, "Probably a fox or a rabbit or—"

Out from behind the brush, popped a red chicken.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **I'm sure you all know what comes next ;)**

 **As always, thanks so much for reading so far!**

 **See you soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: The first part of chapter brings in some of that satire that I said would be prevalent in this story ;)

* * *

"A chicken?" Eret asked, eyes bulging. "What is a chicken doing in The Dark Forest?"

"I have… no idea…" Hiccup said, lowering his bow. "Well, regardless. Supper." He was about to release the arrow, when a voice shouted out and something slammed into him.

Startled, Astrid and Eret looked down to see something straddling Hiccup, pulling the bow and arrow out of his hands. "Monster!" the person yelled. "Ingrate! Despicable mongrel! Attacking an innocent chicken!"

"I say they're _savages_!" another voice called out, and the four companions looked over to see another figure, almost identical to the first, nudging the chicken away with her foot.

"You're… elves!" Astrid said, alarmed.

"Get off of me," Hiccup grunted, attempted to shove the male elf off himself.

"Not until you apologize to Chicken," the male elf said.

"I'm… I'm not going to apologize to a _chicken!"_ Hiccup protested indignantly.

" _Elves_ live in this forest?" Astrid asked.

"Of course elves live here. _We're_ here, aren't we?" the female elf asked, stepping forward. "Ruffnut's the name—"

"Tuffnut's the game," the male elf finished. "Just kidding. My _name_ is Tuffnut. But the game we played—and you three played it… well, rather disappointingly. We were hoping for some grueling deaths."

"That was you?" Eret snarled. "You cast that spell on us?"

"Well, we helped it along," Ruffnut said. She stopped, eyeing Eret up and down. "My, my, you are a delicious one."

Eret returned her gaze with a disturbed one of his own. "So, if you two live here, you can get us out, right?"

"We could—"

"But we won't," Ruffnut finished.

"You will," Astrid said, crossing her arms.

"Why should we?" Tuffnut asked, and then he laughed and stopped laughing just as suddenly. "No, really, why shouldn't we? I've forgotten."

"Because it's the _decent_ thing to do," Astrid said.

"I'm not decent!" Tuffnut cried out indignantly. "I'm the _opposite_ of decent."

"I may be a lady, but I'm not decent either—as you will soon find out," Ruffnut said with a wink to Eret. "Who wants snake porridge?"

"Ooh, snake porridge!" Tuffnut said, rubbing his hands together. "Delectable stuff… but not as good as bird dropping stew."

"They're mad," Astrid said, as the elven twins cackled and chatted together.

"Undeniably," Eret agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were a universal trait amongst their kind."

"Would you _get off of me,"_ Hiccup bucked his hips, unsettling Tuffnut and flipped him around so that the elf was pinned beneath him.

"Oh… I'm flattered but I'm afraid you're not my type," Tuffnut said sultrily.

"I'm not going to… Astrid, get some rope."

"Are you going to tie him up?" Ruffnut asked eagerly. "Oh, oh, can I help? I'm exceptionally good at tying people up!"

Astrid and Eret glanced at each other. "Oh yes," Astrid said. "We _are_ going to tie him up. But I'm afraid we're just not good at it. So will you help us?"

"Oh would I!" Ruffnut bounded forward and Astrid retrieved the rope. Together, the elf and three humans tied up Tuffnut.

"Not tight enough, not tight enough!" Tuffnut complained.

"Oh, you are so right, brother," Ruffnut said, tightening the bonds.

"That's much better. No way I'm getting out of this," Tuffnut said with satisfaction.

"Get on your feet," Hiccup said, hoisting the elf to his feet.

"Now, you two," Astrid said, feeling thoroughly that these were the oddest two persons she had ever had the displeasure of meeting, "We want to lead Tuffnut to the edge of the woods—because he's our prisoner, and it'll hurt to have him walk like this."

"Oh, _glorious_ pain…" Tuffnut murmured ecstatically.

"Ooh goody!" Ruffnut said. "We should poke him with sticks too!"

"Good idea, sister!" Tuffnut said. "Everyone grab a stick!"

Ruffnut bent to the ground and picked one up. "Let us go! To the edge of the forest we go!"

The twins began walking, Ruffnut poking her brother with a stick constantly.

"Do you think we can trust them?" Astrid whispered. "Or do you think they'll just lead us astray?"

"With elves, you never know," Eret murmured back. "But what other choice do we have? There's no way we'll get out of this forest alone."

They walked for an hour, until they saw light up ahead. "The edge!" Astrid cried, and they emerged from the trees into the open space of The Wild Lands.

"I told you we could do it!" Ruffnut said. "How did it feel brother? To be at the _mercy_ of humans?"

"Wonderful," Tuffnut wept happily.

Astrid and her companions stared at this in disgust, shaking their heads as the twins talked about what else humans could make them do.

"Are you sure you don't want to come back with us?" Ruffnut asked Eret. "I have a special place for you in my tree house."

"Ugh, sister—you should know by now it is illegal for you to procreate," Tuffnut said.

She punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

She turned back to Eret expectantly.

"I… I'm afraid I have to go," Eret said, a look of disgust on his face. "Thanks for… thinking of me."

"Well, whatever," she said with a shrug. She bent down and picked up her brother, lifting him up by the ropes, before suddenly dropping him. She turned, her eyes glowing white. "You…" she said softly, pointing at Hiccup.

"Me?" Hiccup looked flabbergasted.

"One day, all the lands shall bow to you."

"What is going on?" Astrid asked, staring at the elf.

"It's a vision! Ooh I love a good vision," Tuffnut said from his position on the ground.

"A _vision_?" Eret asked, staring from one elf to the other.

"One day you shall be King," Ruffnut continued.

"King of _what?"_ Hiccup asked, staring at her in confusion.

"The Wilderwest…" Ruffnut whispered, and the glow left her eyes and she shuddered slightly. "What happened?" she asked in confusion, looking around.

Hiccup, Eret, and Astrid stared at the mad elf. "Well," she said, shrugging. "Time to go home. Come on, brother," she hoisted her brother to his feet, and they left.

"Come visit us again!" Tuffnut called.

"I'll be waiting for you, Eret son of Eret!" his sister called back to them, before both disappeared into the trees.

The four companions stared after them for a short while, before Hiccup suggested, "Let's put a mile between us and this place."

"Agreed," Astrid and Eret said in unison.

* * *

Hiccup woke suddenly in the night. He reached for his hunting knife, gripping it tightly in his hand as he steadied his breathing. He looked first at Astrid, who was sleeping not far from him, and at Eret, who was sleeping on the other side of the dying fire. Toothless was a little ways away.

"Toothless," Hiccup hissed, "What are you—"

He clamped his mouth shut when a figure moved in the darkness, just before Toothless. The dragon turned to give him a wide-eyed look.

"What are you…" Hiccup leapt to his feet. "Astrid, Eret!" he yelled out.

His two human companions started, waking from their slumber with a shock. Hiccup dashed forward, grabbing his bow and quiver and notching an arrow. He pointed it at the intruder. "Who are you?" he demanded. "A thief? What are you doing with Toothless?"

He could see the figure better now. It was tall, perhaps even taller than him, and lithe. It wore a sort of primal armor, and a mask with strange curled spikes extruding from it.

"Who are you?" he demanded again.

Astrid and Eret were standing not far behind him now. "Are there more of you?" Eret asked.

The figure hesitated, glancing at them before looking at Hiccup. It took a step back, then reached out.

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly as the long slender figures, obviously belonging to a female, reached for his face. He was about to slap the hand away, when the woman gasped. "Hákon?"

Hiccup frowned. "My name is Hiccup."

"Hiccup?" the woman paused. "Who gave you that name?"

"It was the name I was found with," Hiccup answered. "Who are you? And why do you think you know me?"

The woman hesitated, before slowly removing her helmet, revealing an angled face, and long brown braids. Her chin was pointed, with high cheekbones and eyes of cerulean green. Her ears were pointed, much like the fairy from his vision in the woods. She gazed at him, holding her helmet close to her chest.

"You're a fairy!" he said, startled.

She nodded, a hesitant smile on her lips.

The sting of Astrid's sword being released from its sheath was heard, and Hiccup was roughly shoved to the side as Astrid stepped up, pointing the sword at the fairy's throat. "Release my sister!" Astrid demanded.

The fairy looked confused, but showed no signs of duress.

"Don't act dumb, I know your kind is holding her," Astrid snarled, taking a menacing step forward, pressing the tip of the sword into the fairy's neck, but no blood was drawn.

"I'm afraid I don't know about your sister," the fairy replied. "I haven't been to The North in nearly twenty years."

The sword dropped away slightly, before it quickly returned to its place at her throat. "How do I know you're not lying?" Astrid asked. "Fairies are liars."

A dragon emerged from the darkness, approaching quickly. Astrid took a hasty step back, before returning.

The fairy let out a breath of air. "I'm fine, Cloudjumper," she said. The dragon paused, cocking his head. "I was banished, I cannot go to The North," the fairy told them.

"Banished?" Eret asked. "Why would the fairies banish one of their own?"

"I…" the fairy's eyes glanced down for a second, before glancing at Hiccup, before finally returning to Eret. "They consider me a traitor."

"Traitor?" Astrid frowned. "Why?"

"Because I fell in love with a human."

Astrid and Hiccup glanced at each other, and returned their gaze to the fairy. Astrid lowered her sword, but did not return it to its sheath. She stepped forward, gazing at the fairy with shrewd eyes. "You do look familiar," she said. "Come into the light," Astrid backed up, keeping her sights on the fairy, as she walked towards the fire. The fairy walked forward, and Eret and Hiccup followed closely behind. When the light of the fire illuminated the fairy's face, Astrid gasped.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"Valka?" Astrid asked.

The fairy nodded.

"Valka?" Hiccup frowned. "Why is that name familiar?"

"Because this is…" Astrid trailed off for a moment, before speaking, her voice somewhat shaken. "This is King Stoick's late wife."

"Late wife? You mean… the queen?" Hiccup turned to look at the fairy in shock. "She was a fairy?!"

Valka hesitated, looking at Hiccup, before speaking. "Perhaps we should sit down."

"Good idea," Astrid said. They all sat, and Toothless positioned himself behind Hiccup.

"If you're a fairy, where are your wings?" Hiccup asked.

Valka sighed unhappily. "My wings were clipped," she said. "Ang—the Queen of the Fairies took them and most of my magic when she banished me."

"You said she did that because you… fell in love with a human," Astrid said. "Was that King Stoick?"

"Yes," Valka said. "I disguised myself as a human so I could marry him. I was very happy, for a few years."

"What happened?" Hiccup asked.

Valka looked at him quickly. "I grew tired of human life," she said. "You have to understand, Hiccup, time and love are different to fairies. We are not held to the same rules humans are. Love is… complicated for us. It is impossible for our love to be unconditional. I never stopped loving Stoick but… my love became… discontent. Being human was excruciatingly tiring, and I could not bear to pretend to be something I was not. But I knew that the humans would not trust me if I revealed myself as a fairy—especially not Stoick. So I…" she looked down at her hands. "I faked my death."

"But you had a son," Astrid said quietly.

Valka gave a small smile. "I know," she said. "We fairies can be… selfish creatures. Whatever happened to Hákon?"

"He died," Astrid said. "Well, he was kidnapped, and presumed dead. I'm not sure of the details, I was only a babe when it happened."

"I see," Valka said, glancing at Hiccup. "How tragic."

The three humans frowned at her lackluster reaction, and Astrid said, "But why then were you banished from your home? If you left the humans, surely the fairies would have taken you back?"

"Being with humans is not uncommon for fairies," Valka said. "Pure fairies are only female, so they often find lovers in humans. But what I did was unforgivable to them. I fell in love."

"How can falling in love be criminal?" Astrid asked.

"Fairies don't fall in love, not in the same sense that humans do," Valka said. "And certainly not with humans."

"So they _banished_ you?" Hiccup asked.

"And clipped your wings?" Eret shuddered slightly.

"It's not all bad," Valka said, stroking Cloudjumper's face. "I found a family."

"Dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," Valka looked at him. "It appears you've done the same."

"Yeah…" Hiccup said in uncertainty. "But what are you doing _here?"_

"I discovered there was a dragon here," Valka said. "Toothless. I thought perhaps he was a captive of Drago's… so I came to free him."

"Drago?" Astrid asked, startled.

"How do you know Toothless' name?" Hiccup asked.

"Like most non-humans, fairies can understand the speech of the creatures of this earth," Valka said. "Although we are unable to control dragons. Like us, they live by their own set of rules. Our magic has little effect on them, except to speak their tongue and know much of their thoughts. I may not have much of my powers anymore, but I still have that."

"I don't understand how your husband never knew you were a fairy," Eret said. "How could you have pulled that off for so many years?"

Valka sighed. "It was difficult, and I'm afraid the price was too high for it to last."

"King Stoick is a reasonable man," Astrid said. "Surely he would have understood."

"The fairies have garnered a foul name of late," Valka said. "You should know well that they are often despised by humans." She looked at Hiccup, her face earnest. "If I could go back, I would have revealed myself. I wouldn't have left."

"Okay," Hiccup said. "Why not go back now? The king is still alive."

Valka shook her head. "It is too late. That world is gone from me now."

A prevalent silence ensued.

"Do you know how to enter The North?" Astrid asked, finally.

They looked at Valka eagerly, but the fairy just shook her head. "I'm afraid the only way three humans and a dragon can enter is if they are invited—and cloaked, by a fairy. I do not have the magic to do so anymore—and you'll be hard pressed to find one that will help you. There are not many who'd dare go against the queen."

Eret exhaled loudly. "Well," he said. "That certainly complicates things."

"We'll just have to capture a fairy," Hiccup said.

"Easier said than done," Astrid muttered.

"Why are you going North?" Valka asked.

"We're all cursed," Eret said. "Or know someone is cursed."

Valka looked at Hiccup, her eyes wide. "I suppose you are… you all have curses laid down by fairies… except you," Valka turned her gaze onto Astrid. "You feel the effects, but the curse was for another, was it not?"

Astrid nodded.

Valka returned her gaze to Hiccup. "What curse was placed on you?"

"Not a fairy," Hiccup said. "The witch Excellinor cursed me to… never find happiness."

Valka gazed at him with an unreadable expression, and Astrid finally said, "We have an early day tomorrow—perhaps we can continue this conversation in the morning—granted you don't murder us in our sleep."

"You have nothing to fear from me," Valka said. "Please, sleep."

"Not sure how much sleep I'll be able to get," Eret muttered. "But I would welcome it."

They settled down to sleep, save for Valka, who positioned herself cross-legged before the fire. Hiccup closed his eyes, trying to fall back to slumber, but found he was unable to do so—for he could tell, though his back was to her, that the fairy was watching him.

* * *

It was cold, and he was whimpering. With a start, he opened his eyes, to find that it was not _he_ who was whimpering, it was Astrid. She was still asleep, and shivering. He glanced at the fire to see that it was dying—only a few embers remaining. He glanced over to look at Valka, but the fairy was gone—as well as her dragon. He sighed and stood, leaving the campsite to fetch more firewood.

Being a hunter made him adept at moving quietly and skillfully through the darkness, and he could see well, even when the moonlight was hidden behind the clouds. He bent down to grab a large stick, and straightened, only to gasp and drop the wood in his arms when he saw a set of glowing blue-green eyes watching him.

"Do not be afraid!" Valka's voice was heard, and she stepped into the moonlight, revealing herself. In this light, nothing but the moon, she looked every bit a fairy.

"I thought you had left," Hiccup said, quickly picking up the wood he had dropped.

"I just went for an evening flight," Valka said. "Fairies don't need sleep."

"I see," he continued walking, searching for more wood.

"Hiccup," Valka was following him. "I know there is a question on your mind. Speak it."

Hiccup stopped, and turned to face her. "Can you undo the curse on me?"

She looked disappointed for a moment, before she said, "Only the fairy that cast it can undo it."

"Oh," he continued picking up wood.

"There is fairy blood in you," she said at length, and he almost dropped the wood again.

He turned to stare at her. "What?"

"Fairy blood," she repeated.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me I'm—part fairy?" he almost laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

"It's not a jest," she said, stepping closer to him. "I can tell. You _are_ part fairy."

"That's ridiculous," he said. "I'm human. I don't have pointed ears—I don't have wings—I don't have magic—my _eyes_ don't _glow._ Need I go on?"

"That's because you were raised as a human," she said. "Fairies are forbidden from raising male offspring."

Hiccup shook his head, deciding he had enough firewood, and began the short walk back to the campsite.

"I'm telling the truth," Valka said. "Why do you think you have such an affinity for flying? Why you can move so well in the dark? I'm willing to bet you are skilled with your bow—it almost seems as if the arrow hits your target with little effort, does it not?"

He stopped, turning to look at her. "Those don't mean anything. What makes you so sure I'm part fairy?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it after a moment's hesitation.

"Exactly," he said. He continued along, until they reached the camp. He placed the wood on the fire, but the embers had completely gone out. He glanced at Astrid, who was shivering violently.

"I can teach you how to light a flame," Valka said from behind him.

"I know how to light a flame," he said, opening a pouch on his belt and taking out his flint and stone. After a few failed attempts, he sighed in frustration.

"Let me teach you," Valka said. "You should learn about your heritage."

"I'm not—" he stood quickly, spinning around to face her, but stopped when Eret murmured something in his sleep. "I'm _not_ a fairy," he hissed.

"If you let me show you, you will believe," she said. "You need to light the fire—I can show you how."

He exhaled slowly, glancing at Astrid, before looking back at the fairy. "Fine," he said. "We'll see who's right."

She smiled, taking his hand and drawing him around to face the fire pit. "Focus on the wood—don't close your eyes!" she said, when he did so, "A fairy's magic is strongest in their eyes. Look at the wood, imagine a flame in your mind, growing from a spark to a roaring fire."

Hiccup glared at the wood, before sighing. "It's not working. I told you—I'm not a fairy."

"Try again," she urged. "You want to believe you're not a fairy so badly you are blocking your magic. Think _harder._ Remember that you need to warm Astrid."

Hiccup glanced at the sleeping woman, before returning his gaze to the wood. He licked his lips, and focused on it. In his mind's eye, he could see the spark—and see it grow into a large flame—he gasped, staring as a fire leapt up around the wood, hitting him with heat.

"See?" Valka laughed quietly. "I told you. And it's warmer than a normal flame—and shall only go out when you tell it to."

Hiccup took in a few deep breaths. "How did… did you do it?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"No," she shook her head. "Such magic is beyond me now—except when I am truly desperate."

"I'm really… part _fairy?"_ he stared at the fire, aghast.

"Yes," Valka said. "Now, if you allow me, I can teach you all that I know—I can teach you how to grow your wings—how to fly—how to create water—how to cast spells—"

"No!" Hiccup turned to look at her, removing his arm from her grasp.

"No?" she looked confused. "Why not?"

"I've seen what fairies and magic are capable of," he said. "It cursed me—they _kidnapped_ Astrid's sister. It turned Eret into a man-eating _monster._ They are heartless and cruel. I don't want to be one. Magic… it does more harm than good. I want _nothing_ to do with it."

"Hiccup…" Valka tried to put her hand on his arm again, but he shook it off.

"I don't want anything to do with _you,_ either," he said. "I don't know why you came into my life—maybe you're a part of my curse. But whatever your connection is to me—however we may have known each other once, I want nothing to do with you."

Her hand retreated to her chest, held in a loose fist. "Very well. One day, you will seek me out," she said quietly. "You'll know I am only looking out for you."

"Go," he said, his voice deadly quiet.

She nodded, turning and walking away from the fire, until she reached Cloudjumper and climbed onto his back. She glanced back at Hiccup, her eyes glowing in the darkness, and her dragon leapt into the air, disappearing into the night sky.

He watched her go, before looking back at the fire. He wanted to put it out—to make a _real_ fire, but she was right. It _was_ warmer than a normal flame. He glanced at Astrid, and found that her shivering had subsided greatly. He felt himself grow calmer. He wanted to comfort her—perhaps he should move his mat next to hers—no… she would never stand or that. She was a lady—he was just a commoner. A commoner with no family.

He returned to his mat and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep. When it came, he found he dreamt of flying, but not on a dragon's back.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Thanks so much for reading!

See you soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Astrid looked at Hiccup, watching as the young man walked silently through the tall grass. "Are you alright?" she asked finally.

When she got no response, she repeated, louder, "Are you alright?"

He stopped, turning to look at her, and said, sharply, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she said, walking up to him. "You haven't been fine since we saw that fairy. Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," he said, as he began to walk again. "I'm fine."

"No, you're—"

"I said I'm fine!"

Astrid blinked as Hiccup glared at her, and then he sighed, pinching between his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. "I… I'm sorry, Astrid. I just haven't been feeling well lately."

"What is going on? Is it the curse?" she stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm.

"It's…" he trailed off. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," she said.

"What's taking you two so long?" Eret walked up to them. "The ocean—or some large body of salt water—is just ahead."

"Great," Hiccup said without much gusto. "Let's go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Astrid grabbed his arm again gently, stopping him.

He sighed, turning to look at her. There were circles under his eyes, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. " _What_ is going on with you?" she demanded quietly.

"I want to know the answer to that as well," Eret said. "You haven't been yourself lately."

"It's nothing—"

"It's _not_ nothing," Astrid and Eret said in unison. "Hiccup," Astrid said, "Something is bothering you."

"It's… it's the curse, alright?" he said. "I was cursed to never find happiness—well, I'm not. I'm not happy. How is that a surprise to either of you?" he tore his arm away from Astrid and walked off.

Astrid and Eret glanced at each other.

"I hope he snaps out of this soon," Eret said. "And that is the last hissy fit he throws."

Astrid sighed, nodding her head. _Something_ was wrong with Hiccup, and it didn't just have to do with his curse. He had been fine up until they ran into Valka. Had the fairy said or done something to him? She frowned. Perhaps the fairy had cursed him. She could have easily lied that she had no magic. Fairies defaulted to lying. They loved chaos, and reveled in trickery and other evils. "He'll tell us what this is about eventually," Astrid said.

Eret frowned, shaking his head slightly. "We haven't been together that long," he pointed out. "He might not tell us anything."

Astrid breathed in, watching as Toothless caught up to Hiccup up ahead. The two rounded a dune, disappearing from sight. She knew there was little she could do to help Hiccup—not when he was like this.

She and Eret had just started forward again, when they heard Hiccup shouting. They looked at each other, before rushing forward, rounding the dune and catching up to Hiccup. Hiccup seemed to be looking at something on the ground—a beached seal or—

"Is that a _person?"_ Eret asked, dumbfounded, as he and Astrid slowed to a stop beside Hiccup and Toothless.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said, staring down the pale body.

"Drowned?" Astrid asked.

"I think… I think he's alive," Hiccup said, inching forward. He picked up a thin, long piece of driftwood, and poked the body's impressive girth.

A hand lazily slapped the stick away.

"Well, he's alive," Hiccup said, backing up quickly.

"Why is he… _naked?"_ Astrid asked.

"Maybe he went for a dip—got caught in a riptide, passed out, and then washed ashore," Eret suggested.

"How is he not _dead_ then?"

But whatever answer was on Eret's tongue was lost, for the beached man's eyes began to flutter open, revealing green eyes. He looked up at the sky, feeling the sand around him with his hands, and smiled broadly.

It was then that he seemed to notice the four watching him. He started, sitting up suddenly and staring at them. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Who are _you?"_ Astrid countered. "And how did you end up here like this?"

The man looked around, absentmindedly touching his short, blond hair, before looking down. "Legs!" he said, happily. "And some other parts I wasn't expecting… human anatomy is so peculiar…."

"'Human'?" Eret asked, his hand relaxing around the handle of his long knife. "You're not human?"

"Well, I am _now,_ biologically, but _normally_ , and, I suppose, _culturally_ , I am not," the man on the ground struggled to stand, but fell back down. "My name is Fishlegs," he smiled up at them.

"Fishlegs?" Astrid asked, frowning. "Were you a _fish_ before?"

"A mermaid, right?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes! Well, mer _man."_ Fishlegs attempted to stand another time, but his legs collapsed underneath him again.

"If you were a mermaid," Eret said, "You must have had a tail—which would explain why you're having trouble standing."

"It's true, I thought it would be much easier than it is," Fishlegs admitted. "I studied the physics of standing and walking, but the actual act seems to elude me."

"Why—if you're a mermaid—ah, mer _man,_ would you come onto land?" Astrid asked.

Fishlegs closed his eyes, smiling faintly. "I came… because of love."

The four stared at him. "What?" Eret and Astrid asked in unison, while Hiccup tried not to snort.

"It's true!" Fishlegs clasped his hands in front of him. "I fell in love with a fair maiden—a _human_ maiden. And I was granted legs so I could come and woo her."

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, to see that he was looking at her with an amused expression. "And how do you plan on doing that?" Eret asked, sounding as amused as Astrid and Hiccup felt.

"I have written some poetry," Fishlegs said. "I have no doubt she was fall instantly in love with me. I am rather skilled at crafting words."

"And who is this girl?" Eret asked.

"Princess _Tantrum,"_ Fishlegs said dreamily.

"Tant— _Princess Tantrum?"_ Astrid asked, staring wide-eyed at the man. "You must be joking!"

"I am not," Fishlegs shook his head. "She is the fair maiden who has captured my heart."

Astrid felt like choking—from shock or disgust, she could not tell. What would possess a seemingly nice, gentle young man like this to fall in love with _Princess Tantrum?_

"Her castle is not far from here," Fishlegs twisted and pointed off, where a large castle could be seen. "I plan to go there and woo her."

"And how will you do that?" Hiccup asked, "You can't exactly walk."

" _And_ you're naked," Eret pointed out.

"Oh…" Fishlegs glanced down at himself, before admitting, "You may have a point there."

"Don't worry," Astrid said. "We can help you."

"We can?" Eret asked her.

"Astrid," Hiccup said, all amusement disappearing from his face. "May I remind you we're on a tight schedule?"

She gave him a long look.

"She's got a point," Eret said. "We can't just _leave_ him there."

"Fine," Hiccup said. "We'll teach him how to walk, and we'll find him clothes, and then we'll drop him off at the castle and be on our way. Alright?"

"Sounds good to me," Fishlegs said.

They all glanced down at the merman, before Hiccup said, "I'm going to go find a place for Toothless to hide out in, and then go to the village and buy some clothes."

"We'll start teaching him how to walk," Eret said, as Hiccup began to trudge away.

Astrid watched him go, feeling a cocktail of confusion, annoyance, and sympathy. She did not know what ailed him. He was distraught over the notion of being cursed—but something had happened when they had run into Valka. He had changed somewhat. He seemed to have little patience and tolerance for things. What had happened between him and the fairy? Did she say something to him?

"Are you going to help me or not?" Eret asked, attempting to hoist Fishlegs to his feet.

"Right," she said, rushing forward. "Let's teach you how to walk, Sea Legs."

* * *

"Why does anyone need a house this big?" Eret asked as they stood before the gates to the Uglithug Castle.

"It's not a house," Astrid said, "It's a castle."

"It's as beautiful as my love," Fishlegs said.

Astrid glanced at him, raising a skeptical brow. The castle was in disarray, to put it mildly. King UG was not the type to keep up on maintenance. "Are you fine from here on out?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs.

"I will be fine," Fishlegs assured him. "I am sure that my princess will fall at first sight in love with me."

"Hold up," Eret said, putting up a hand. "Are you telling me she's never even _looked_ at you before? You've _never met?"_

"Well, not _exactly…"_ Fishlegs said.

" _What?"_ Astrid stared at Fishlegs. "If you've never met, how do you expect to even get an audience with her?"

"An audience?" Fishlegs asked, staring at her, confused.

Astrid sighed irritably. "Look, she's a _princess_. She can't just see whomever she wants to. There's a _way_ to these things."

"Oh…" Fishlegs looked distraught, and Astrid found herself saying the words she had sworn not to say.

"I suppose _I_ could help you see her," she said.

Hiccup, Eret and Fishlegs turned to stare at her. "What do you mean?" Hiccup asked.

"I mean— _I know_ Tantrum. We went to boarding school together," Astrid said.

"You went to boarding school?" Hiccup asked. "I don't understand… I thought you were a warrior?"

"I can be a warrior and a lady at the same time," Astrid huffed. "Well, anyway, Tantrum and I attended at the same time. So I know her relatively well. I suppose she might be willing to see me—and by extension, _you."_

"But we don't have—" Hiccup was cut off by Fishlegs squealing slightly and rushing forward, pulling Astrid into such a tight embrace that she felt as though she had not an ounce of air left in her body afterwards. "—time…" Hiccup finished. He sighed. "I suppose we can stand to be here a few more hours."

"That's the spirit," Eret clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Well," Astrid said, approaching the guards at the gate, taking in a deep breath. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

* * *

" _Oh—_ Astrid," the impressively tall woman said, staring down her long nose at Astrid. "It's you—when the guard told me I had a visitor I thought it was someone else."

"Hello to you too," Astrid said, standing awkwardly before the tall princess. She wanted to turn to glare at Fishlegs, who was making happy noises, barely able to constrain himself, and focused her eyes on the brown ones of Tantrum. "How are you this fine day?"

"I'm fine," Tantrum said in a bored voice. "There's nothing to _do_ , of course. Who are your friends?" She peered at Astrid's companions.

"These are my friends," Astrid said, pointing them out, "Eret, Hiccup, and this is Fishlegs."

"Fishlegs?" Tantrum frowned. "What an odd name. You don't have _fish, legs_ , though, do you?"

"I used to," Fishlegs said. "I got human ones just for you."

Tantrum stared at him for a moment, before flicking her long red hair over her shoulder. "Well, you're all invited to the feast—especially _you_ , Astrid. And you'll get new clothes to wear, of course. You look and _smell_ horrible."

"Thanks," Astrid said drily.

"The guards will take you to your rooms. You're staying in the guest wing," Tantrum said.

"Oh, we're not staying the night—" Hiccup began, but clamped his mouth shut when Tantrum turned on him, eyes flashing. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said meekly.

She walked away, waving a hand dismissively, and the guards came out, motioning for them to follow them. The castle was in as poor shape as its exterior. Astrid looked around, feeling irritated by the fact that the Uglithugs had let this castle fall into such ruin. King Stoick would have _never_ allowed his own castle to be destroyed thus. Astrid found her room small, but overlooking the ocean. She stared out the window as the maids prepared a bath. The water was only slightly warm, and there were not many salts, or soaps and lotions to wash herself with, and so it was not an altogether enjoyable affair, but it much trumped bathing in an icy river.

When she got dressed (in a long out of fashion, old hand-me-down of Tantrum's that was several inches too long), she left her chamber and stood in the hall. Eret emerged from his room, glancing at her and smiling.

"You look lovely," he told her.

"Thank you," she said absentmindedly. "Where's Hiccup and Fishlegs?"

"Not sure," Eret said, shrugging.

The door next to Astrid's opened, and Hiccup stepped out, glancing down at himself. He stopped, looking at Astrid with wide eyes. "You look…" he struggled for a moment, as if he were searching for the right words. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Astrid said. "Although the dress doesn't fit."

"Do I look alright?" he asked them.

He was wearing fine clothing, although not as fine as one would find in the courts of Berk. Astrid nodded.

"Very handsome," Eret told him.

"Dashing," Astrid agreed.

"A right stud," Eret continued.

"A dreamboat, if there ever was one," Astrid said.

"I can hardly keep myself constrained—"

"Alright, alright!" Hiccup said, putting his hands up to silence them. "Enough out of you two. Where is Fishlegs?"

"He's not come out yet," Astrid said, walking over to the merman's door and knocking on it. When she heard no answer, she opened the door and peered inside. "He's gone," she said, looking back at them, worried.

"I hope he hasn't done anything stupid," Hiccup said.

"I fail to see how it's _our_ responsibility," Astrid said, shrugging. She closed his door and began walking towards the dining hall.

Inside was a raucous affair. The three stood staring at the mess and chaos within the dining hall in shock. "This is… loud," Hiccup said, as they were ushered to a table not far from the royal dais. "Is this how nobility and royalty usually eat?"

"Usually there's less stabbing," Astrid said, "And less food thrown around… and less… using the bathroom in public places. But then again, Berk is far more civilized than most places, so I daresay I'm not the person to ask."

Food was served, and they stared down dismally at it.

"I can make better food than this with raw leather and poison berries," Hiccup said, nudging the slop with his fork. "Is everyone getting this, or is it just us?"

"Looks like it's everyone," Eret noted, glancing at the royal dais.

As King UG stood, raising a dirty goblet into the air, the noise seemed to die down somewhat, though not completely. "THANK YOU ALL," he shouted over the din, "FOR COMING HERE TODAY. WE HAVE ALL GATHERED HERE TO—"

There was a loud clatter that superseded even the chaos in the room and UG's shouting, as Fishlegs stumbled into the room, holding a platter of food. All eyes turned on his for a moment, before the room resumed its impressive noise.

"—CELEBRATE WITH US ON THIS… _GLORRRIOUS_ DAY," UG finished, drinking deeply from his goblet and sitting down.

Fishlegs glanced around, before handing his tray of food to a server, and walking over to where Astrid and the others were sitting.

"There you are," Hiccup said. "We were worried you had gotten lost."

"I did—well, sort of," Fishlegs said, sitting down next to Astrid. "I went to see Tantrum, you see—but I could not find her chambers, so instead I got lost—and then the kitchen staff thought I was a server, and sent me here. Good thing, or I would never have found the place. Human architecture is so confusing."

Fishlegs glanced at his plate, before taking a tentative bite. "Not bad," he said, chewing thoughtfully. "How thoughtful of them to undercook the fish."

Astrid made a face and pushed her plate farther away. She glanced up at the royal table, and saw that Princess Tantrum was sitting next to her father, and next to _her_ , was a large, muscular, handsome man with an impressive golden mustache. "Who is that?" she heard Hiccup whisper in her ear.

"That's Humongously Hotshot," Astrid said, awed.

" _Him? Really?"_ Hiccup asked.

"Who's that?" Eret said, leaning over to join their whispered conversation.

"Only… only the greatest warrior to ever walk the earth—at least, that's what his slogan says," Astrid said.

"I know what his slogan says," Hiccup said irritably.

"I wonder what he's doing here," Astrid said. "And why he's sitting next to Tantrum."

"She's so beautiful, isn't she?" Fishlegs said dreamily. "I think… I think I need to sing…"

"Oh—no—!" Astrid did not have a chance to deter Fishlegs from this fatal mistake, as the man stood, and cleared his throat. When no one paid him any heed, he cleared his throat again, and began to sing.

" _Oh Tantrum—of the lovely white thighs,_

 _How can you, sit there with lovely brown eyes,_

 _Hear my song, and know my love is pure,_

 _Know that, I will love you forever more!"_

Fishlegs took in another breath, but by then, the entire hall was watching him, silent.

Astrid flinched as UG stood, glaring down at Fishlegs with a murderous expression. "YOU DARE SING POETRY IN MY PRESENCE?" he shouted down. "GUARDS—SEIZE HIM!"

"Wait!" Astrid stood quickly, "Lord UG, my name is Astrid Hofferson, I am a lady of the court of Berk—and this is my fool. I'm afraid he got overly excited by the _extreme_ , and _brutalizing_ beauty of your daughter, and decided to entertain your hall. But he is just a fool, and I should not have let him join us for supper, so please excuse him. He did not realize love poetry was forbidden in the courts of the Uglithugs."

UG narrowed his eyes at Fishlegs and Astrid, before nodding silently. He raised his glass, which had been refilled multiple times over the course of the evening so far, and said, "WELL THEN, IN THE NAME OF LOVE, I THINK IT IS HIGH TIME I ANNOUNCED THE REASON FOR THIS WONDERFUL BANQUET."

Astrid forced Fishlegs to sit down, who was looking slightly perturbed that his song had been interrupted.

"MY DEAREST DAUGHTER, THE EXTREMELY AND BRUTALIZINGLY BEAUTIFUL TANTRUM, IS TO BE MARRIED!" UG downed his goblet, before realizing he had more to say, and his goblet was quickly refilled by a nervous server at his side as he continued, "TO THE MASSIVE AND FEARLESS HUMONGOUSLY HOTSHOT THE HERO."

Astrid, Eret and Hiccup quickly glanced at Fishlegs, who was staring up at the dais in shock. He turned to look at Astrid, his eyes wide. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means…" Astrid said, "That she's marrying someone else."

Fishlegs stared at her, then at Hiccup. "She's not marrying me?" he asked.

"No…" Eret said slowly, clearly unsure why this was in any way confusing, "No, she's marrying Mustache up there."

"But…" Fishlegs stared down at his plate dismally.

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, not quite knowing what to do, before laying a hand on Fishlegs' arm. "It's okay, Fishlegs," she said. "You'll find true love somewhere—and not from some spoiled princess either. Cheer up."

" _Cheer up?"_ Eret said. "Astrid, you're _terrible_ at this. Fishlegs, don't worry, you'll find love eventually—"

"How is that any different from what I was saying?" Astrid demanded.

"I wasn't _finished_ yet," Eret snapped.

Hiccup cleared his throat, "Perhaps we should retire for the evening?"

"Oh, right," Astrid said, standing. "Alright, Fishlegs, let's get going."

Fishlegs stood up shakily, and followed Astrid and the others from the room. They made their way back to the guest wing, and stood in front of his door. "Will you be alright?" Astrid asked him, worriedly.

"I'll be fine… I suppose," Fishlegs said, his voice somewhat quiet.

Astrid, Eret and Hiccup exchanged glances. "Are you sure?" Astrid asked, "You just found out the girl of your dreams is getting married to someone else."

"Astrid's right," Eret said. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… if you need someone to talk to… we're at your disposal."

"Thank you," Fishlegs said, "But I think I'd like to sleep at the moment…. Humans need more sleep than merpeople." He turned and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

Astrid glanced at the other two, and Eret whistled softly.

"Can't say I imagined it turning out any differently," Hiccup said.

"Same," Astrid agreed.

"Well," Eret clapped his hand. "I'm going to bed and getting some sleep as well. I suggest we leave here as soon as possible." He entered his room, closing the door behind him.

Astrid and Hiccup stood awkwardly in the hall. "So…" Hiccup said, peering at his hand for a moment, before glancing at her.

"You still feeling like you were kicked by a mule?" she asked him.

He frowned. "I'm cursed," he said, "Of course I feel like that."

She sighed. "Well, I'm here to talk," she turned away, "And if you ever decide to stop moping I'll be here—"

He caught her hand, stopping her. She paused, turning to look at him in surprise. "What—"

He pulled her towards him, his hand still holding hers. She was nearly pressed against him now, staring up at him in shock. He had a strange look on his face, and indeed, he seemed to not realize what he was doing. "I need to know…" he whispered softly, "If what I feel is—"

There was a faint clatter of footsteps down the hall, and Astrid quickly pulled her hand out of Hiccup's, moving backwards and clasping the handle, opening the door to her room. "Goodnight, Hiccup," she said, her cheeks flushed. "I'll see you in the morning." She entered her room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. She heard him enter his own room, and exhaled a breath that much needed to be released.

* * *

"So… are you sure you'll be alright?" Astrid asked him.

Fishlegs gazed at the sea before them, taking in a deep breath. "I believe so," he said. "There will always be other fish in the sea."

"Yes… I suppose there will be," Astrid admitted.

"It's probably for the best," Fishlegs said. "I don't care much for being human—and I doubt Tantrum would care much for sea life."

"No… probably not," Astrid agreed. "I'm sure you'll find a love that suits you even better than Tantrum would have."

Fishlegs turned his head to smile at her. "Thank you, Astrid," he said. He reached down and picked up a shell, brushing the sand off of it. He put it to his lips, breathing, or perhaps humming, into it. He handed it to her.

She accepted it, glancing at him. "What's this?"

"If you ever find yourself in need of help, blow on that, and the sea will come to your aide," Fishlegs said.

Astrid's brows furrowed.

"Now, I believe Meatlug is waiting for me," Fishlegs said. "Another reason it would never have worked out between Tantrum and myself. My heart is already in the sea." He stepped forward, walking into the waves. A little ways off in the water, she could see the head of a dragon—a sea dragon of sorts.

Fishlegs disappeared under the waves, and resurfaces near the dragon. He waved at Astrid and the others, before he and the dragon disappeared under the surface.

"What did he give you?" Hiccup asked her, and he and the others approached her.

"A shell," she said, noticing it had a nice little hold in it. She dug in her pouch and took out some twine, hanging it around her neck. "Alright, shall we get going?"

"Yes, _finally,"_ Hiccup said, slinging an arm around her shoulders as he led her away. Eret also slung an arm around her shoulders, standing on her other side.

Together, the three of them and Toothless of them walked back to the plains of tall grass, continuing on their journey to The North.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

This was one of my favorite chapters to write… :D

Thanks so much for reading!

See you soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Astrid shivered, the cold seeping into her flesh more than usual. She stared out the entrance of the cave, at the downpour of rain, thunder and lightning outside. "Do you think they're okay?" she asked over her shoulder.

Hiccup was pacing in the cave within. "I'm not sure," he said, worry evident in his voice. "I mean—if they're even _together._ What if _they_ got separated as well?"

"We'll just have to wait the storm out," Astrid replied.

Hiccup kicked a rock, and then yelped in pain when he found out the hard way the rock was secured to the ground. "This is absolutely ridiculous," Hiccup said, crouching down and placing his hands on his head.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Astrid said, turning and walking towards him. "There are lots of caves in this area—I'm sure they found someplace to hide and wait out the storm."

"I know…" Hiccup muttered. "I'm just worried. Toothless can't fly on his own, and Eret doesn't know how to fly on him."

"You don't _want_ Toothless flying on his own," Astrid reminded him. "He'd probably crash or something worse in this weather."

"True," Hiccup agreed.

He stood abruptly, storming over to the far end of the cave and sitting down against the wall. He placed his head on his knees, which were drawn up to his chest.

Astrid watched all this, and sighed with both annoyance and pity. Pity because he was clearly struggling. Annoyance because he refused to tell her _or_ Eret what was going on.

She walked over to him, sitting down next to him. "Do you want to talk?" she asked him.

"There's nothing to talk about," he muttered.

"Yes there is," she said.

When this elicited no response from him, she continued, "This is kind of like our first meeting."

"What?" He peered at her.

"We met during a storm like this, remember? It was months ago, but still. You had me tied up."

"Oh." Hiccup frowned, "I'm sorry about that."

She shrugged. "We've come a long way since then, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Hiccup agreed. "I consider you a close friend now."

"Me too," she said. "But for close friends, we don't know much about each other." Hiccup was silent, and so she continued, "My father is a lord of Berk."

"I know," he mumbled.

"I have a twin sister," she continued, "Named Alfhild. She looks almost exactly like me, and yet she's _still_ the prettier one," Astrid rolled her eyes. "She's also spoiled rotten. And can't take care of herself in the slightest. She's always in need of rescuing."

"She's the one who was cursed, right?" Hiccup asked. "The one you're going to The North for so you can save her?"

"She's _in_ The North," Astrid said, placing a gloved hand over her heart. She could feel the cold, as if icy shards were inching towards her own heart. "That's why I'm so cold all the time."

She received no response from Hiccup, so she continued. "She and I were very close. Best of friends, despite our differences. We attended boarding school together—she was the best student to graduate from there in all its history. She was even going to marry the future king of Berk."

"Prince Snotlout?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "King Stoick's nephew. I kind of hate him but also not."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"It's complicated. He's…" she made a face. "He's annoying but he can be a good friend sometimes."

"So… why was your sister cursed—or _kidnapped_ , by the fairies?" he asked.

Astrid sighed. "Though my sister and I are barely discernable from each other, my sister is often heralded as the beautiful one. Maybe because I devote most of my time to the art of war," Astrid paused, and continued, "And she often let that go to her head. One night—I don't know _why_ , she made the claim that she was more beautiful than even the queen of fairies."

Hiccup blinked, staring at her.

"Fairies are jealous creatures," Astrid said, "And the queen of fairies is the most jealous and temperamental one of them all. She was angry, and jilted, I suppose, that a mere human would deign to be considered more beautiful than she. She came in the night, and spirited my sister away to The North. That is why I am on this quest. To bring her home. Or die trying."

"You'll succeed," Hiccup told her firmly, "And you won't die. I'll see to that."

Astrid glanced at him, smiling slightly. "What about you? You grew up in the Cove, correct?"

"Ah yes," Hiccup said, snorting, "If we both live to see the completion of our quests, I'll have to bring you there. It is, without a doubt, the biggest helhole there is in all the Nine Kingdoms. The only upside was Toothless and Gobber."

"Gobber? _Gobber?"_ Astrid said, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean— _Gobber?"_

"The man who raised me—found me in the woods," Hiccup said, staring at her. "Why?"

"He didn't leave to go to the capitol a year ago, did he?" she asked him.

"Yes… he did…" Hiccup said slowly, "Why?"

"Because…that's one of Stoick— _King_ Stoick's best friends," Astrid said, staring at Hiccup, awed. "You were raised by the man King Stoick trusts the most?"

"I…" Hiccup paused. "I knew he left for the capitol to be the king's personal blacksmith, and I knew he _knew_ the king, but I wasn't sure why… You say they were _best_ friends?"

"Yes," Astrid said, still shocked. "Gobber left the capitol about twenty years ago… couldn't take much more of royal life, apparently. But he returned at the request of King Stoick."

Hiccup glanced down at his knees. "Is he missing a hand and a foot?" Hiccup asked her.

"Yes!" Astrid said. "He is."

Hiccup exhaled slowly. "What are the chances…" he muttered. "This is almost too surreal."

"Indeed it is," she agreed, leaning her head against the stone wall behind them. "You said he 'found you'. Do you know who your parents are?"

There was a long pause, and she turned to look at him. He was studying his hands carefully, before saying, "I don't."

She frowned, and said, "So they might still be alive?"

He shrugged. "They abandoned me in the woods. I can't say they cared very much about me. To be honest… I don't think I even _want_ to know them. But…" he sighed. "I can't help but wonder. What they are like… where they are… _who_ they are..."after a moment, he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear him, " _What_ they are…"

"Perhaps you will one day," she said.

He shrugged again. "I doubt that," he said. "How could I? How could they possibly know? And what if it's already happened? What if I did somehow meet them and I didn't know it—or want to know it?"

"What are you talking about? Are you alright?" she asked, frowning. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No," he said shortly.

She set her jaw, irritation flaring up inside her. "Hiccup," she said, "You _will_ tell me what is happening to you."

He glanced at her, surprised.

"I know something is going on," she said. "Ever since you were cursed… ever since we ran into the fairy—something in you changed. You've been gloomy—moody—and _annoying."_

He stared at her.

"And don't even try to deny it," she snapped. "You've been an absolute pain to both Eret and I. It's a wonder we put up with you."

"That's—you wouldn't understand…" Hiccup said after a moment.

"You're right!" Astrid exploded. "I wouldn't! Because you won't let me. If you just explain what's going on… I can _help_ you. Or at least, offer an ear and comfort."

She gazed at him pleadingly, but he said nothing.

"Why won't you tell me?" she asked, softer.

"You would hate me," he said.

Her shoulders fell slightly, and her anger ebbed away. "No, I wouldn't," she said, reaching out and placing a hand on his. "Hiccup… I won't hate you. No matter what it is you're holding in."

He shook his head.

She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. She felt him slide closer to her, wrapping and arm around her and drawing her close to him. She shivered against him, but suddenly, she felt warm. She could not tell if the strange, other-worldly heat was coming from _him_ , or if being this close to another person made _her_ warmer, but the chills soon subsided. She looked up at him, and found him looking at her. She was reminded of that moment in the barn. And later in UG's castle. How they almost…

She placed a hand on his cheek, drawing him into a kiss. His other hand found itself on her waist, seeming to pull her even closer to him. She gasped as he deepened the kiss, raw desperation emanating from him. His hand left her waist to cradle her neck, until finally they broke apart.

She looked up at him, to see a strange glint in his eye, and for a moment thought his eyes may be glowing in the dark. But suddenly it was gone, and his hand dropped away from her. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

"No…" she shook her head. "No, it was me—I initiated the kiss."

"But I—" he stopped himself.

"I enjoyed it," she assured him. "But I am still a noblewoman. So nothing can…"

"Right," he nodded, beginning to remove his other arm from around her.

"Wait," she said softly. "For some reason, I'm warm when I'm this close to you. Perhaps we can just… stay like this for a while."

He looked at her in uncertainty, and nodded.

They settled into each other's arms, silent and content.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Thanks so much for reading!

I know there have been a lot of updates lately, so sorry! I want to finish posting this story soon so I can focus on other things/have one less thing to do when things get busy again for me. Please bear with me!

See you soon!


	11. Chapter 11

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out, running down the path to throw his arms around the dragon. Toothless almost purred in his happiness of being reunited. "Thank the gods," Eret said, as Astrid embraced him. "I thought something might have happened to you two. Are either of you injured?"

"No," Astrid said, glancing at Hiccup, who was preoccupied with rough housing with Toothless. "I'm glad the two of you are alright," She told Eret. "We were really worried about you, too."

"Well, we were fine," Eret said. "Luckily we weren't caught in that rock slide—and we managed to find a cave to hide out in."

"Same," Hiccup said, breaking free of Toothless' grip but staying near the dragon. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you, Bud," he told Toothless, giving him a comforting rub on the head. Toothless warbled again, nudging Hiccup's chest with his head. "I promise, nothing will happen to you. Ever."

"Bold promise," Eret said, somewhat amused.

"One I intend to keep," Hiccup replied. "Well," he took in a deep breath, and Astrid could tell that he was, at the moment, the closest to 'happy' that he had been in weeks. She smiled, glad that Hiccup and Toothless' reunion was able to lift his spirits so much. "We should probably get going. We have a long way to go until we reach The North."

"Right," Astrid and Eret said in unison. They walked off, down the rocky path, together.

* * *

"Do you feel that?" Hiccup asked, frowning.

"Feel what?" Astrid asked, crossing her arms and staring at him like he had gone mad. "Do you hear something?"

"What? No… I mean… I don't think so?" Hiccup paused, cocking his head. What was this feeling? It was something familiar? And yet… so different. He felt as though his name was being called—but he could not hear any such voice. Not with his ears, at least.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Eret asked.

Toothless nudged Hiccup's elbow, whirring worriedly.

"I'm fine, Bud," Hiccup said, placing an absentminded hand on Toothless' head. "I'm just… I don't know. Something not right. I feel…." he walked forward, heading towards a clearing just ahead. "I feel like there's something up ahead here."

"Wait!" Astrid said, "What if it's a trap?"

"A trap?" Hiccup paused, turning to look at her in confusion.

"The fairies might have figured out we're on a quest to The North," Astrid said. "I wouldn't put it past their scheming to deter us somehow. Be careful…"

Hiccup paused, a slow, ache in his chest at these words. _Scheming._ It was no secret Astrid despised fairies. Even Eret did as well. Everyone did. Fairies were despicable creatures. They lied and cheated and caused chaos. They were selfish and cruel, and had no empathy or sympathy for others.

If Eret and Astrid knew that he was half…

He shook his head, nodding to them, and turned and walked towards the clearing, the other following carefully. They reached the clearing, and Hiccup found that the sun seemed to be brighter here than it should have been.

"Look!" Astrid said, surprised and pointing ahead.

Hiccup looked to the center of the clearing, where the sun shone the brightest, and saw, to his surprise, a large solitary stone. But that was not the only thing that surprised him. It was the hilt of a sword emerging from the stone.

"A sword… _in a stone?"_ Eret asked, confounded. "How did it even get in there?"

"That's not just _a_ sword…" Astrid said breathlessly. "That's _the_ sword."

"What sword?" Eret and Hiccup asked her.

"You don't…" Astrid scowled. "You can't have gone your whole lives without hearing the legend."

"Well… _clearly,"_ Hiccup said.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "It's the sword of the King."

"Which king?" Eret asked.

" _The_ King,"was Astrid's tart reply.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "You need to specify—Nine kingdoms… lots of kings."

"No, no— _the_ King. The King of the Wilderwest. It must be his sword," Astrid said.

"You mean… the man who used to rule all the lands?" Hiccup asked her, frowning.

"Yes," Astrid said, approaching the sword. "When he died, his nine sons fought for his crown, and ended up dividing the kingdom into nine parts. Legend says that he was murdered by them. Legend also says that 'they who can unsheathe the sword from its resting place is his true successor'."

"You mean—that's not…" Hiccup frowned. "How do you even know this is the right sword?"

"Well, for starters, it says so right here," Astrid pointed at the stone.

Hiccup, Eret and Toothless approached, peering at the stone. "It does," Eret said, musing. "But how do we know it's legit? How do we know it's not a trick of the fairies?"

"Well, I suppose we don't," Astrid replied.

They were all silent for a moment, before Eret said, "Someone should try to take it out."

"Astrid, you're of noble birth—you could be the King's successor," Hiccup said.

Astrid gave him a playful grin, before taking in a deep breath and grasping the handle of the sword. She grunted and pulled with all her might, until at last she gave up, dropping her arms to her side. "No good," she said, shrugging. "Looks like I'm not cut out to be a King."

"Well, I'll give it a go," Eret said, approaching and pulling as hard as he could. Finally, he too, gave up. "It's impossible," he said. He looked at Hiccup, "Well, are you going to give it a try?"

"Me?" Hiccup laughed. "If the two of _you_ couldn't pull it out, what makes you think _I_ could?"

"The elf, she did prophesize that you would be the next King of the Wilderwest," Astrid pointed out.

"Yeah but… I think we can all agree those two didn't have their hinges attached right," Hiccup said. "I think she was just having a bout of madness, or if not that, then definitely just pulling our legs."

"Just give it a go!" Astrid laughed, grabbing his hands and placing them on the handle. "What are you so afraid of? Go on. We gave it a try, you've got to as well."

"Alright," Hiccup said, "One forever-stuck-in-a-stone sword coming straight up…"

He made a show of taking in a deep breath, squaring his shoulders, setting one foot on the stone. "Get ready for something amazing guys," he joked, and he hoisted up with all his might.

He let out a yelp as the sword slid out of the stone as easily as a knife through butter in the summer. He stumbled backwards, the sword falling out of his hand, and he landed unceremoniously on his backside.

He stared at the sword, now lying on the ground, in shock. He looked up to see Eret and Astrid staring at him, then at the sword, then back at him, mouths wide-open and giving them a fish-like look.

Toothless bounded over and sniffed the sword, before warbling amusedly and licking Hiccup's face. "What just happened?" Hiccup asked.

"Looks like you're… but that's impossible," Astrid said, a little breathlessly. "You're not of noble birth… are you?"

"No," Hiccup said. "I mean… I don't…" he suddenly remembered Valka. The fairy. The fairy with a connection to him he was not willing to accept yet. The fairy who had been married to the king of Berk. "I don't think so," he finally said firmly.

"Well," Astrid said, "I guess some fairy is playing a trick on us, then."

"I guess so," Hiccup said, accepting Eret's hand and letting the man help him to his feet.

Astrid picked up the sword, gazing at it before swinging it through the air. "It's a good sword," she said, awed. "I've never seen the like before. I wonder if it was made by the fairies."

"I don't want it, in that case," Hiccup said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Astrid said, "This is a fine sword, no matter who made it. And it clearly chose you, no matter the circumstances. Keep it. I'll teach you how to use it."

"You will?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm a master at the sword," she said smugly, handing the sword to him, hilt first. "I can teach you in no time."

Hiccup accepted the sword, gazing at it. It seemed to be made of a dark colored iron. It was heavy—much heavier than he had expected. He was thankful he spent years as a smithy apprentice. He may not look it, but he had enough muscle to wield such a weapon. He hoped.

"I can teach you some too," Eret said. "I might not fight with this type of sword, but I can at least offer you some sparring."

Toothless warbled again, nudging Hiccup's elbow. He laughed, rubbing the dragon's head. "Alright," he said.

Astrid stared at him, cocking her head for a moment.

"What is it?" he asked, his face heating up slightly under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Are you sure you're not of noble birth?" she asked. "You were an orphan—abandoned. Your parents could have been without you even knowing."

Hiccup hesitated, and said, "I don't think so, Astrid."

Astrid narrowed her eyes, before nodding. "Well," she said. "The first thing you need to learn is how to _hold_ a sword. You're doing it all wrong."

"There's a wrong way to _hold_ a sword?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow.

Astrid narrowed her eyes again. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," she said, in a low, dangerous tone. "We can't risk losing time and distance, so we'll practice on our way to The North."

"Well," Eret said, "You can't train on an empty stomach. Let's stop for lunch, practice a little, and then head on our way."

"Good plan," Hiccup said, sticking the pointy end of the sword into the ground. He removed his pack from his back and started unpacking their food, while Astrid and Eret collected firewood.

* * *

Hiccup dreamt of the fairy he saw in the The Dark Forest. She was standing before him, wearing nothing but a gown of sheer blue. She was smiling at him. Laughing sweetly at him. But there was no goodness in her—for her eyes were cold and cruel. She blew him a kiss, her large, luscious red lips puckering comically.

He tried to speak, but he could not. He could not move, stuck standing there as she approached him. She was taller than him, but not by much. Her long, slender fingers brushed against his shoulder, running along his upper back. She leaned against him from behind, whispering something in his ear that he could barely hear

" _He is mine, now."_

Hiccup gave out a gasp, sitting up quickly, drenched in a cold sweat. The fire was still going strong beside him—benefits of having magic—but something was wrong. That dream had been too real—her hands on his body still vividly present. Hiccup looked over at Eret and Astrid, who slept near each other a little ways away. They were still sleeping peacefully, apparently not having had such unnerving dreams as he. He took in a deep breath, and said, out loud, "I'm not sure what came over me, Bud, but that was… strange."

When he gained no reply from Toothless, he looked over to see that the dragon was gone from his side. His eyes widened slightly, looking around wildly. He threw his blanket off of himself and rose to his feet, spinning around as he tried to see where Toothless had gone. "Toothless!?" he shouted into the darkness.

Astrid and Eret were on their feet in an instant, weapons drawn. "What is it?" Astrid demanded, her keen eyes assessing the situation. "Did something happen? Where's Toothless?"

"I… I don't know," Hiccup said, his heart in his throat, his mind racing a mile a minute. Toothless was gone… and he wouldn't just _leave_.

"Perhaps he went to relieve himself," Eret offered. "Or to find some food."

Hiccup shook his head.

No… he could sense Toothless was nowhere nearby. He was gone—far, far away. Magicked away but some evil force.

"Angharad…" he whispered, clenching his fists.

Astrid's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Was she here?"

"I dreamt of her," Hiccup said. "She told me 'he belongs to me, now'… she must have been talking about Toothless."

"But that means…" Eret said, his eyes widening.

"That means he's in The North," Astrid said, taking in a deep breath. "Hiccup…"

Hiccup could feel wetness from where his nails, short as they were, cut into his palms. He felt anger that he did not know he was capable of—the fire beside them roared and grew, and both Eret and Astrid glanced at each other and back at the fire, before looking at Hiccup in uncertainty. As quickly as Hiccup's anger had come, it disappeared, replaced by an empty ache. He groaned and crouched down, covering his head with his hands.

He was aware of Eret and Astrid approaching him, crouching down beside him. Two hands rested on his back—one from each of them.

"We'll get him back," Astrid said firmly. "We all have reasons to go to The North. Don't worry. We'll get him back. I promise."

"We will," Eret said, his voice affirming.

Hiccup nodded, standing up. The two beside him rose as well. He took in a deep breath. "I…" he began, not quite sure what to say. There was no doubt in his mind what he had to do. He _needed_ to rescue Toothless. He did not care anymore what happened to him—whether or not he was able to lift this retched curse. He would go to The North for one purpose only.

To save Toothless.

"It's because of me," he whispered, hugging himself slightly, gazing down at the dying fire.

"What are you talking about?" Eret asked him.

"Because of my curse," Hiccup said. "I will never find a happiness. Because of that… Toothless was taken away."

"That's not true," Astrid said, her voice edged. "Toothless was taken away because fairies are vile, evil creatures that cannot find happiness unless others are miserable. It is _not_ your fault that Toothless was taken."

Hiccup stared at the now dead fire. Even the embers had extinguished. He wondered what would happen… if Eret and Astrid knew. Knew who— _what_ —he was. Would they still want him near them? Would they even _trust_ him?

Would Astrid even…

He pushed those thoughts from his mind, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter," he lied. Rolling up his blanket and attaching it to his pack. He slung the pack over his shoulder. "We have to get moving. It's a few days walk before we reach The North. I won't have Toothless held captive there for any longer."

Eret and Astrid glanced at each other, and nodded. As they quickly gathered their things, they set out into the night.

* * *

Astrid and Eret walked side by side, Hiccup up ahead. Astrid gazed at Eret for a moment, before nodding in Hiccup's direction. Eret shrugged, and then muttered, "He has a right to be upset. He hasn't exactly been treated well by the fairies as of late."

"Still," Astrid said. "I can't stand all his moping about. Ever since he was cursed—and ever since we ran into Valka… he has been different. Mopey. Moody. Pessimistic. I can't stand it. And now _this_ …" she trialed off for a moment, a bit of shame creeping in. "I mean, I guess I can understand _this_. I can't explain what it was like when my sister was kidnapped. Even now… I am always wondering if she is even…" she trailed off again. "Anyway, I wish he would just tell us everything that is going on with him. We can't help him if he doesn't _tell_ us anything."

"Perhaps he doesn't know how to say it," Eret offered.

Astrid made a face. It irritated her to no end that something— _something_ —was bothering Hiccup to his core, and he wouldn't even tell them anything. She tried to give him space, to give him a chance to gather his thoughts and tell them when he was ready, but her patience was growing thin. He was hesitating to say anything. She did not know _what_ it was, except small slivers of doubt and suspicions—suspicions she was not prepared to face—but she knew that whatever the reasons for his change in mood, it would not change what Eret and she thought of him.

And she was hurt that he may think otherwise.

"Whatever," she shrugged, but she knew that Eret could see though her guise. "When he's ready to tell us—I suppose he'll tell us."

They walked in silence for a short while, before Hiccup said loudly that someone was approaching. Eret and Astrid drew their weapons, although Astrid could not hear or sense anyone nearing them. They paused on the path, until, coming towards them down the path, was an old man. Astrid let out a sigh of relief. Hiccup was still new at using the sword, and since she was right handed, and he left-handed, it took some figuring to teach him proper movements and stances. Of course, he had his arrows—and knife, but she knew he was itching to use his sword.

"Greetings, Travelers!" the old man said, waving a hand at them. He walked up them stopping before them. "How are you this fine day?"

"We are fine," Astrid said, sheathing her sword but still wary. This old man _seemed_ harmless enough, but she also knew that looks were deceiving. And the fairies were treacherous creatures quite capable of deception.

"Where did you come from?" Eret asked the old man.

"Harborshaw," the man pointed behind him. "Just up a ways. Good food," he paused and said, "They had a dragon problem, but it's no problem now."

"Dragon?" Hiccup was upon the man in an instant, until he was a mere foot away, "what kind of dragon?'

"Monstrous Nightmare," the old man said, taking a hasty step away from Hiccup. "Why?"

Hiccup let out a sigh. "Nothing," he said, returning to Astrid and Eret's side.

"What do you mean, the dragon _used_ to be a problem?" Astrid asked him.

"I mean, the dragon was taken away," the old man said. "By the dragon trappers."

Eret started, surprised and shocked. "Dragon trappers?" he asked, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," the old man said, "Some dragon trappers showed up, trapped the dragon, and carried him off for Drago's army."

"Drago's army?" Hiccup glanced at Astrid. "That's the man Alvin was working for, right?"

"Yes," Astrid said, nodding. "I heard he was amassing an army—but _dragons?_ This is worse than I thought. And if he's collecting dragons in the Wilderwest, he must be close to invading our borders." She frowned, a worried look on her face.

"Well," the old man said, hoisting his pack higher on his back, "Whatever the cause—I'm just glad that dragon is no longer terrorizing those villagers. Well, best be on my way," he waved them a cheerful farewell and walked down the path in the direction they had come. Astrid and Eret watched him go, and turned back to Hiccup. "We should most likely keep going," Hiccup said, but no sooner than he had taken a step, then someone stepped out from around a tree, standing before them.

"Valka!" Astrid said, shocked. Her hand found its way to the hilt of her sword, but she did not draw it. Eret and Hiccup also refrained from drawing their weapons, although Eret was in a ready stance to fight if need be.

"That is troubling news," Valka said, "To think someone would enslave the dragons in such a way…" she shuddered, both in horror and anger.

"You were following us?" Hiccup asked her, eyes narrowed.

She looked at him, her face troubled. "I did it only to make sure you were alright," she said. "With your pow—"

"It doesn't matter why you were following us," Hiccup interrupted.

Valka was silent for a short while, before saying, "I will go to the East to survey the situation with Drago. If he is enslaving dragons for his army, someone needs to keep an eye on him. The people of the Wilderwest would not survive such an attack."

Astrid nodded. "We will be at The North in a few days, at most, and then I will be returning with my sister to Berk, where I can help with the effort to resist Drago."

"Good," Valka said. She gave out a kind of howl, and Cloudjumper appeared in the sky, landing before her. Valka climbed onto the dragon's back with ease that was inhuman. "I will see you again soon," she said, gazing at Hiccup. The dragon took off into the air, leaving them behind.

"This is really bad news," Astrid said, frowning. "If Drago is building an army of dragons, and if he uses that army to attack the Wilderwest… he may just defeat us." She glared down at her gloved hands as she shivered. "We need to reach The North soon, so that I can return and help my people."

"Good," Hiccup said, starting forward again. "Now that we're all motivated, let's get a move on."

They began walking again, heading towards the ever elusive North.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Thanks for reading!

See you soon!


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure this will work?" Astrid muttered, mostly to herself, as Hiccup had been obsessed of late—and, unlike her, positive this plan would work. So Astrid and Eret were mostly just _going along with it._ Still, kidnapping a fairy seemed… a _dangerous_ thing to do. But it _may_ just be their only way to sneak into The North undetected.

The problem was, Astrid thought, holding the rope tightly in her hand, eyes peeled to the sky, fairies were unpredictable. One might agree to help, but even under duress, they'll be far more likely to sway you than to _help_ you.

Still, they had little other options.

Astrid saw her approach, her large wings moving so quickly Astrid's human eyes could not keep up with them. The fairy fluttered in and out—like all fairies do, almost not quite _there_ , but not quite _not there_ at the same time. Even from this distance, Astrid could _feel_ her magic. It oozed off the fairy like lava, or swamp slime.

Astrid had no faith this trap would work—a fairy could just magick herself away—or break free of the ropes—but Hiccup was convinced it would work. He had taken the rope and done something with it, gone off and when he had returned, he had a rather unpleasantly determined look on his face. Even now, the rope tingled under her skin—even through her think, fur lined gloves. It was strange, Astrid thought, but she put it to the ever growing cold.

The fairy hesitated just before the object set in the middle of the trap. She looked around, and Astrid knew then that the fairy knew quite well this was, in fact, a trap. But if one could count on one thing, it was that fairies could never resist treasure. And Astrid's father's insignia was a rare piece of jewelry, a fine piece of treasure if there ever was one.

The fairy dropped down to the ground, reaching for the ring, a hungry glint in her eye—and Astrid pulled, the same time Eret and Hiccup pulled. The fairy gave out a sharp shriek as the net came up around her, entrapping her. Astrid secured her rope and drew her sword, rushing into the clearing. The fairy was struggling against her ropes, and Astrid paused for a moment before her, as Hiccup and Eret hurried over, wondering why the fairy had not done something about the net with her magic.

Hiccup paused, staring long and hard at the fairy. For a moment, everyone was silent, including the fairy, who had ceased her struggles. The fairy gazed directly at Hiccup, and soon a cunning look entrapped her face. "Well, well, well," she said, grinning like a loon, "What do we have here?"

Hiccup frowned, staring down at her with confusion.

"Don't think I don't know who you are," the fairy said, leaning back a little, before realizing she had nowhere to go. She narrowed her eyes, perfect, white teeth barred in an unpleasant grin, "Little changelings are easy to spot. My father was one, after all."

"Changelings?" Eret glanced at Hiccup, confused. "What does she mean, changelings?"

Astrid stared at Hiccup for a moment. The nasty little suspicion playing in the back of her mind worming its way to the surface. But this was not the moment for that. She returned her attention to the fairy. "What is your name, fairy?" she asked.

The fairy barred her perfect teeth again, shaking out her messy array of hair. "Not telling."

Hiccup drew his sword, holding the point towards her, but drew it away when the fairy inhaled sharply in a painful hiss. "What is it?" he asked.

The fairy hissed again, barring her teeth in a growl. She clenched the ropes tightly, but did not say anything.

"What is your name?" Astrid repeated.

"C…amicazi," the fairy said, still eyeing Hiccup's sword with malice. "Why would two humans and a changeling want to know my name?"

"Because you're going to take us to The North," Eret said.

The fairy gave out a loud laugh—a crazed laugh, bellowing with all her might. Finally, her laughter subsided, and she giggled for a short while. "Silly human," she said, "Humans can't _go_ to The North. But you," she eyed Hiccup again. "You could go, if you'd like."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes for a moment, before shaking his head. "I won't go unless these two go with me. And you _will_ take us to The North. You will swear to do it."

The fairy raised her perfect eyebrows challengingly, but visibly gulped when Hiccup brought the tip of his sword closer to her. "I'm guessing you don't like iron," Hiccup said. "I'd hate to use it against you—but if it'll make you swear to take us there, I _will."_

"Hiccup…" Astrid said.

Hiccup ignored her.

Camicazi narrowed her eyes again, gazing directly into Hiccup's. "Very well," she sighed, "I swear to take the three of you into The North."

Hiccup drew his sword away from her, sheathing it. "Good," he said, taking out his hunting knife and cutting the ropes. The fair stepped away from them, holding her arms, where Astrid noticed there were slight burn marks from the ropes. "Very well," the fairy said, "We shall walk the rest of the way—since you slow pokes don't have wings." She turned and began walking north, and Astrid, Eret, and Hiccup followed.

"What did you do to the rope?" Eret asked, falling into step beside Hiccup and Astrid. "It burned her."

"Just a little magic," Hiccup muttered.

"Hiccup," Astrid said quietly, "She called you a changeling. Valka… what she said to you—was it—"

Hiccup picked up his pace, leaving the two behind and falling into step with the fairy up ahead. Astrid watched him go, sighing in frustration. Even now, with the truth almost out, he kept silent. Why? She already had suspicions that Hiccup may be Valka's son. _And,_ therefore, he was part fairy. Why was he still holding back? She caught Eret's eye, and the two shared a meaningful glance. "I don't know why he's doing this," she said.

"Don't you?" he asked.

She glanced at him quizzically.

Eret sighed. "Come on, Astrid," he said. " _Think_ a little. Fairies are the reason we all are _in_ this mess. How'd you feel if you found out you were half fairy, after everything they did to you? And even _you._ Put yourself in Hiccup's shoes. _You_ haven't exactly been amicable towards fairies this whole time."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Astrid asked, bristling slightly.

"What I mean is," Eret said, "Hiccup cares what you think—and he thinks, probably accurately, that you hate fairies more than anything. And he finds out that he's _part_ fairy."

Astrid's eyes widened slightly, looking at forward at the back of Hiccup's head. Surely Hiccup would not think so low of her as to think she would hold his parentage against him in such a way. But still, when this was all over, she would have a talk with him. Tell him she did not care that he was, allegedly, part fairy.

He was her friend after all.

* * *

"If you hadn't used your iron to force me, I wouldn't have agreed to this," the fairy informed him.

Hiccup glanced at her, raising in his eyebrows. "I'm desperate," he said, shrugging.

"A brute," she answered. "Why do you want to go to The North, anyway? Your mother isn't there."

"I know," Hiccup replied.

"Then why?"

"My friend is there," Hiccup said.

"Friend?"

"A dragon."

Camicazi frowned, gazing at him shrewdly. "What happened to your… _friend?"_

"Angharad kidnapped him," Hiccup said.

Camicazi looked at him in surprise. "Then I'm afraid you're never getting him back," she said. "The Queen does what she likes and does it permanently." She paused, and said, "I'm sorry… about your friend."

After a long silence, she continued, "What about the others? I know why the girl is coming—I recognize her. She looks like her sister. But what about the man?"

"Eret was cursed," Hiccup said, "He's going to The North to free himself."

"Well, he won't find what he's looking for there," Camicazi said. "But still, I hope you all find what you're looking for."

"Thanks…" Hiccup said, glancing at her in uncertainty. "You… you called me a changeling. What does that mean?"

"Changeling?" Camicazi glanced at him, "You don't know?"

"I… have an idea it has to do with fairies," he said offhandedly. "But other than that, I don't _really_ know."

"It's a male fairy," Camicazi said. "Only female fairies are _pure_ fairies. Male fairies generally have a human body, but can learn how utilize their fairy powers, if they chose to. _Your_ powers have been awakened—I can tell. The ropes… your aura. Was it your mother?"

Hiccup looked away. "It doesn't really matter," he said. "Once we reach The North and I get back Toothless, I'm never going to use these powers again."

Camicazi laughed. "That's impossible," she said. "You'll never be rid of them—and you can't resist them. They're yours whether you choose them or not. You're stuck with them. And now that they've awakened, they'll only grow. I have a feeling you're going to be very powerful."

Hiccup looked at her in surprise.

Camicazi shrugged, grinning at him.

Hiccup allowed himself a smile, and the two continued on in silence.

* * *

"And nothing will happen to us, if we cross now?" Eret asked Camicazi.

"That's what I'm _telling you_ , you stupid oaf," she said, crossing her arms.

Eret and Astrid stood shivering in the deep ice and snow, while Hiccup seemed to barely feel the cold and Camicazi stood, barely covered, as if the cold could not touch her. "Alright," Hiccup said, stepping over the line. He tensed, but continued on.

Hesitantly, Astrid and Eret followed him. "The other fairies can't stop you now—or even sense you're coming, necessarily," Camicazi said, "Or at least, they _won't_ stop you now. You've been invited inside."

"Thanks," Eret said. "Well, let's get going."

"Alright," Astrid agreed, squaring her shoulders, "Camicazi, lead us to the capitol."

"Not a capitol," Camicazi said, heading off, walking a top the snow as if she weighed nothing, "The _Center._ Where all the magic of the world comes from."

They walked for some time, until even Astrid and Eret could feel the thick magic emanating from their destination. The snow lessoned here, although it got no warmer. As they neared, Astrid felt as though her warm wools and leathers and furs did little to nothing against the bitterness. She was cold to the bone—and it was not just because the wind and cold around her. As she approached the Center of The North, she could feel whatever pain and chill was inflicting Alfhild.

She pushed these thoughts out of her mind, or at least tried to, but found she could not. Alfhild was just up ahead. Soon, the end of her journey would come. Astrid did not care what happened to her—only that her sister was safely returned to Berk. She would do what she must—at whatever cost.

* * *

They walked through a field of large mirrors. Except they were not mirrors, they were crystals. He watched his reflection as he passed by myriads of them. There must be hundreds, if not thousands.

"We're almost there," Camicazi said.

The snow was still falling, although less so and it barely covered the ground. Camicazi paused before a large crystal, and turned to face them, "Just around here, is where your sister is being kept," she told Astrid.

Astrid's eyes widened, and she drew her sword, breaking into a run and rounding the crystal, disappearing from their view.

"Astrid!" Hiccup hissed, as he and Eret hurried after her.

As Hiccup and Eret rounded the crystal, they found themselves in a large clearing, in the center of which was a massive crystal. Astrid stood before them, sword arm slack, staring up in horror.

Encased within the crystal, frozen, was the spitting image of Astrid.

"What have you done to her?" Astrid cried out, her voice broken.

Hiccup heard a low chuckle, and looked past Astrid at the figure standing before the crystal.

Queen Angharad.

If Hiccup had thought her beautiful in his dreams and visions, that was nothing compared to what she was now. She was an otherworldly kind of beauty—strange and cruel. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld.

But also somehow the ugliest.

"Sweet little Alfhild," Queen Angharad simpered, gazing directly at Hiccup, "So beautiful and charmed. Her life is being put to good use now—her life force is quite delicious."

Astrid made no move, her eyes glued to her sister's face.

"Where is Toothless?" Hiccup called out.

"The dragon?" Queen Angharad paused for a moment, taking her time to answer. "I sold him. To that Drago man."

"What?!" Hiccup nearly dropped his own sword. "You did _what?!"_

Queen Angharad laughed—a ringing giggle that sent shivers down Hiccup's spine. "Your turn now, I suppose?" she said, turning her head slightly to gaze at Eret. "I'm afraid I cannot help you either. Only the fairy that _placed_ the curse can _release_ you from it."

"And which fairy is that?" Eret asked.

"Why, the fairy you've already met," Queen Angharad said. "I believe you know her as… _Valka."_

Hiccup started, and even Eret and Astrid looked shocked. "What?" Eret asked. " _She's_ the one who cursed me? Then why didn't she do anything when we met?"

"Didn't you know?" Queen Angharad said, in a flirtatious whine, a look of great amusement on her face. "We fairies are… _very_ selfish." She turned her eyes on Hiccup. "And about _your_ curse… I'm afraid there's no use trying to lift that one."

She turned her attention back to Astrid. "How do you like your sister now? Soon, her beauty and life shall be gone. Sucked dry to feed my magic."

Astrid's eyes widened. "No!" she said. "I won't let you!" She lifted up her sword, holding it in a ready stance. "Fight me, witch!"

"You want to fight _me?"_ Queen Angharad asked, laughing. " _Please,_ you're just a _human girl._ You cannot hope to defeat me."

"I will fight you—whether there is hope to win or not," Astrid said, charging the fairy before Hiccup or Eret could stop her.

The queen waved her hand and a long golden sword appeared in it. She blocked Astrid's swing with ease with one hand, throwing Astrid off balance as she parried. Astrid came at her again, while Hiccup and Eret watched helplessly.

"Should we help her?" Eret asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said, adjusting the sword in his hand. But no sooner than he had taken a few steps, then the queen lunged forward, her sword entering Astrid's chest and emerging through her back.

Hiccup and Eret stopped, eyes wide, shocked into stillness.

Astrid gave out a gurgled gasp, blood dripping from her mouth, as the queen's sword disappeared. From her wound, crystals appeared, and Astrid fell to the ground, motionless.

"Astrid!" Hiccup and Eret rushed forward. Hiccup reached Astrid first, falling to his knees beside her. Eret hung back, watching as Hiccup drew Astrid into his arms. "Astrid," Hiccup whispered, but he gained no response from her still form.

Hiccup felt an accumulation of emotions. But most of all, he felt a kind of hollowness. He drew her close to him, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, his head near hers, as he felt the warmth leave her body.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

What will happen now?

You'll just have to wait and see!

Thanks for reading!

See you soon!


	13. Chapter 13

He was aware of them. Both Eret watching from a close distance, and Angharad. He could feel her haughty gaze boring into his back. He could _feel_ her triumph.

"Not even a challenge," she said, a lilt in her voice. "My, my, how _easy_ that was."

"Shut up," Eret said, before walking over to them. He knelt be their side, reaching out and pressing his fingers against Astrid's neck, confirming what he already knew. He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

"Well," Angharad said, "What are you going to do now, little changeling? Your mother cannot help you—your _father_ cannot help you. Your _friends_ cannot help you."

"You'll have to fight her," Eret whispered, "Your sword—the iron might do some damage."

Hiccup looked at him, before nodding silently. He shifted Astrid in his arms, transitioning her into Eret's. The larger man lifted Astrid up, standing and turning, walking to the far end of the clearing. Hiccup stood slowly, taking in a deep breath.

He shivered, his body tensing as Angharad's hand touched his back. She walked in front of him, her hand trailing across him. She walked around him until she was behind him again, her hands ever on him. He forced his breathing to steady, as a rage filled him. Her hands enclosed around his neck, and he felt her breath against it. "Why fight me, Changeling? When you could _love_ me instead. Surely, I am more beautiful than any human."

She caught his hand when he reached for his sword. "Ah-ah," she said, in a sing-song voice. "I'm afraid there's no need for that." With force unnatural for someone of her size, she tossed him around, and he fell to the ground, gasping as the air was forced from him. She slowly walked over to him, hips swaying. "You are powerful—I can feel that. Your power rivals even a female fairy. Fascinating… if only your mother had taken the time to train you—you _might_ have had a chance to beat me."

Hiccup scrambled away from her, before standing and drawing his sword. Her eyes narrowed slightly at it. "Ah," she said, her smile faltering, "I see you found _that_ sword. How ironic. I took _such_ pains that you should not find that destiny."

"What?" Hiccup frowned. "You mean…"

"Yes," Angharad stopped, "After your mother left the humans, I stole you from your cradle and left you in the woods. I had _hoped_ you'd be eaten by some creature—but a human found you instead." She shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I'll kill you now and be done with it."

Hiccup's brows furrowed, gripping his sword tighter.

"That sword is the only mortal weapon that can kill me, it's true," she said, "But I'm afraid you'll have to land a hit to do that. And you're forgetting _I_ have magic… and _you_ are untrained."

She was upon him faster than he could blink. He didn't have time to swing his sword, before she hit him flat handed in the chest, sending him flying into a snow bank. He gasped again, sitting up and clutching his chest. There would be a nasty bruise there. He stood up shakily, willing himself to face her again. He needed to. This woman… this _thing…_ was the reason for too much pain. She was the reason why he always thought he was unwanted. Why Astrid was dead _. Why Toothless was gone_.

He adjusted his sword in his hand, swallowing back his fear. He closed his eyes, knowing full well the mistake that it may be, and willed magic to come to him.

 _Please,_ he thought desperately.

He felt a flame erupt within him, warming him to his core. He opened his eyes, and found that his vision had changed. Everything was more saturated, despite the winter landscape. He could see color where there was none before. He could see swirling shapes and shadows of creatures invisible to humans. He could see _magic._

He looked at Angharad, who stared at him open mouthed, her eyes bulging with anger. The magic within him needed an escape, and he felt something erupt from his back, and heard a fluttering of wings. He gripped his sword tighter, feeling strength he did not know was possible flowing through him.

Angharad gritted her teeth, the golden sword appearing in her hands. "Do not think because you figured out a few tricks you are on my level, _boy,"_ she spat. "I have thousands of years of experience. No _human_ can defeat _me."_

Hiccup took in a deep breath, inhaling the magic around him. He was calm, however. The world around him shifted—somehow at a different pace than he was used to. Almost as if he could see what was happening before it happened.

Finally, Angharad could stand it no more, and she charged at him.

He spun out of the way, quicker than he had ever moved before, swinging his word and managing clipping a small corner of one of her wings. She screamed in pain, staggering slightly. She spun on him, swinging her sword, but he blocked it, new strength aiding him. She stood, gasping for air in her anger and in pain, glaring at him. "This is why changelings should not be given power," she spat, "You do not _deserve_ your gifts."

Her next blow hit him, and if not for the magic within him, he knew he would have dropped dead. He gasped out, dropping to one knee, before rolling out of the way when she swung the sword at this neck. Her sword entered the snow and ground when he dodged another attack. She was hissing and shrieking with every blow, pain and anger emanating from within her. He could see it now—the foul magic coming from her. He could see, the more they fought—the angrier she became, that she was rotten to the core.

He swung his sword, but she parried, then grabbed him by the neck, squeezing tight, and thrusting him hard away from her. He landed hard on his back, air forced out of his body. He struggled to his knees, coughing as he tried to catch his breath, and he was aware of her lifting her sword to deal a mighty blow.

At almost the last moment, he clutched his sword tighter, and swung it around, slicing her in the abdomen. She screamed in pain, dropping her sword, and falling to her knees. She knelt there, as he stood. She put up her hands. "Please!" she gasped, shaking, "Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to. I can't help it. It's just who I am!"

He hesitated, anger ebbing from him as he stared down at her pitiful face. Finally he took a step back, his sword arm falling to his side. Disgusted, he turned away from her, and began walking back to Eret.

"Look out!" Eret yelled, pointing behind Hiccup.

Hiccup turned in surprise, and saw Angharad lunging at him, claws out. He swung his sword quickly, and clumsily, the iron slicing through her chest like butter. She shrieked, staggering backwards, gagging. He watched in horror as her body convulsed, shimmering and contorted, until he saw the form of Excellinor gasping and gagging for air. She screamed something, cursing in dead tongues, but it was no use. Her magic was escaping her rotted form. Finally, she withered away until nothing was left but ash that blew away on the wind.

Hiccup let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding, as he felt the magic ebb away from him. His wings, in whatever form they had been, went out like an extinguished flame. He felt tired and weak, but from his fight or returning to a human form, he did not know. His wounds had mostly healed while in fairy form, but he still felt sore from where she had hit him. He turned and walked towards Eret and Astrid, and looked down at her, but saw that she was still and lifeless as she had been before.

"Well," Eret said, "I guess you don't have to worry about being cursed anymore. That was Excellinor, wasn't it?"

Hiccup nodded.

Hiccup was aware of fairies entering the clearing, the first of whom was Camicazi. The fairies were silent, watching them curiously.

"Astrid?"

Hiccup and Eret started. The voice was familiar—but different also. Hiccup looked behind him to see that the large crystal was gone, and in its place was a woman that looked similar to Astrid. _Alfhild_.

The young woman was staring at Astrid in horror, before rushing forward, falling to her knees in the snow beside her sister. "Astrid!" Alfhild cried out, gathering her sister into her arms.

Hiccup and Eret watched her, and Hiccup wondered if Eret also felt as though he was intruding into something sacred. After all, compared to her sister, what right did they have to mourn her?

"This is all my fault…" Alfhild whispered. She looked up, looking at Hiccup with blue-green eyes. "Thank you—for killing Angharad. Because of you… I was released from her prison," she looked down at Astrid again. "While I was in there—I absorbed some of this place's magic."

Hiccup and Eret said nothing, neither quite sure where the woman was going with this.

"I was in there too long… It's not Astrid's fault—I know she must have done everything she could to save me…" Alfhild buried her face in Astrid's hair. "I can't hold on much longer. If only…"

A few fairies approached, and had Hiccup had the time and energy, or if the moment had been right, he would have marveled at their beauty. Camicazi was at their front. The three fairies laid their hands on Alfhild. The woman began to glow, her shape changing into that of a tree. As the tree grew, the light spread to Astrid, until both were too bright for Hiccup and Eret to look at. The two men backed away, shielding their eyes. Finally, they could sense the light had disappeared. They opened their eyes, and saw a large tree standing where Alfhild had knelt. The snow had stopped falling, and the snow on the ground was melting. As was the crystals around them, revealing trees in their places.

"What just happened?" Eret asked.

"We gave her a fairy burial," Camicazi said, her voice solemn. "She will live here evermore." She looked around, "And Angharad's magic is leaving—spring has come."

"Astrid!" Hiccup said, eyes wide as Astrid's body twitched, her eyes opening.

He and Eret reached her at the same time, lifting her up into a sitting position between them, both holding onto her.

"What happened…" she grunted, " _Getoffme_." She shoved them off of her, looking around. "What… happened?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"We won," Eret said, "Well, Hiccup won."

"Hiccup?" Astrid looked at him in surprise. "How did you do it?"

Hiccup shrugged, grinning like a loon at her. "I guess being part fairy has its perks."

"What…" she placed a hand on her chest, "I thought I had…"

"You did," Eret said. "But Alfhild brought you back. I think."

"Alfhild!" Astrid tried to stand, but swayed. Eret grabbed her and held her steady. "What happened to Alfhild, where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's…" Eret and Hiccup glanced at each other. Hiccup pointed at the tree, "She was too weak after being imprisoned for so long. So the fairies…"

Astrid looked up at the tree, her face falling. "Oh… _Alfhild…"_ she whispered.

Eret drew her into a hug, holding her tightly. After a moment, Hiccup joined them.

"So what do we do now?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup sighed. "I don't know," he said.

"I must return to Berk," Astrid said, determined. "I'm sure Drago will reach the Berk soon… I must be ready to defend it."

"We'll go too," Eret said, letting go of her. Hiccup did the same.

"You will?" she asked, and smiled when he nodded. She looked at Hiccup.

"If Drago has Toothless, that's where I'm heading," Hiccup said.

Astrid's smile widened. "Good," she said, "It's settled then. We're heading south."

"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," Camicazi said. "You'll need someone with sense about them—and _you_ ," she jabbed a finger in Hiccup's direction, " _You'll_ need someone to teach you magic. You have power, yes, but you're incredibly untrained. You should have seen the magic coming out of you—a disgrace."

Hiccup let out a snort, before saying, "We're happy to have you, Camicazi."

"Well," Astrid said, putting out a hand and resting it on the bark of Alfhild's tree. "I guess we should get going." She looked back at Hiccup. "My lord? Shall you lead the way?"

"Lord?" Hiccup frowned, before rolling his eyes. "Don't start on that," he muttered. "All I want is to rescue Toothless—I've have no interest in being a prince."

"Technically," Eret said, wrapping an arm around Hiccup's shoulder, "You're gonna' be _King of all Wilderwest_."

As Hiccup groaned and shrugged Eret's off, and as fairies came forward with supplies for their journey, the four set off, heading away from The North and towards the south—to what lay ahead.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **Next chapter is the last one! Technically this chapter had the climax to the story, but there are still some things to be resolved. Just a little bit left and then it's over!**

 **Again, I must apologize for the quick update schedule. I promised myself I'd be done with this story and Moonlit Shadows by the end of August, so I could focus more predominately on my other stories, and have two less stories to have to worry about, and I am afraid I fell, as usual, quite behind schedule! My desperate attempt to hold true to my self-imposed-promise means that I had to post many, many chapters these last few days. I will not be defeated by my own procrastination!**

 **That being said, thanks so much for reading!**

 **See you very soon! (for the last time) ((for this story))**


	14. Chapter 14

Astrid walked through the marsh grass, looking around for any sign of Heather.

"I thought you were never going to come back," a voice said softly from behind her.

Astrid turned and smiled.

The water nymph returned the smile, and walked forward to embrace her. "Did you succeed on your quest?" she asked Astrid.

"I'm afraid I did not," Astrid said, wrapping her arms tentatively around Heather. "I am afraid I failed in quite the worst way."

Heather sighed. "I am sorry," she said.

They separated and Heather grinned. "Have you come to stay long?"

"Only a few minutes," Astrid said. "I have to return to the others soon—we're heading to war."

"War?" Heather shrugged. "I'm stuck here at my marsh. Or I'd offer my services."

"It's alright," Astrid said. "I came here because I… wanted to hold true to my promise. To visit you. In case…"

Heather nodded. She held out her hand, and Astrid placed her own in it. "I am glad to have met you, Astrid, even if I may never see you again."

"I've already died once so far on this quest," Astrid laughed. "I suppose the chances of surviving again is quite unlikely."

"Or even more likely," Heather pointed out.

"True," Astrid nodded her head. "Anyway, should I survive, I promise to visit you often. Although I cannot offer you what you may want of me."

"Because you are a noble maiden?" Heather joked.

Astrid shook her head.

"Ah," Heather nodded her head, squeezing Astrid's hand. "That is always the case. If only I could leave this swamp…"

"But I'll visit you often," Astrid said firmly. She stepped closer to the nymph and pressed her lips against Heather's cheek. "I'll see you soon."

She let go of Heather's hand and walked away, stopping after a little while and waving. The nymph waved back, and then dove into the water, disappearing from sight.

* * *

He saw her standing at the riverbank. Tall, straight-backed, face passive. He could make out her pale skin in the moonlight, a stark contrast to her darker clothes and armor. Camicazi's teachings had started a metamorphosis in him. He could see things more clearly—especially in the dark. And Astrid looked more beautiful than ever, now that he could see more detail in her than he ever could before. He approached carefully, leaving the camp, with Eret, behind. He stepped up beside her, gazing down at the reflection of the moon and trees in the water. He thought of Alfhild—and how she would grow evermore in The North. A beacon of spring.

"I'm sorry," he said, not looking at her, "About your sister. I can only imagine how it must feel."

"It's…" Astrid began, before she grew quiet. He waited for her to speak, letting her take her time. "I did all I could do," she paused again, and Hiccup could tell she was as much convincing herself of the fact. "I wish… I could have seen her a last time."

Hiccup nodded, unsure if Astrid wanted a consoling touch or not. He decided to refrain from touching her. "It was beautiful," he told her. "Her transformation."

She looked at him for a moment, before looking back at the water. "Was it painful? Her death?"

"No," Hiccup shook his head. "I don't think it was. The fairies made sure of that."

"The fairies," Astrid scoffed, before quieting again. "It's strange… my whole life, and especially these past few months on my quest, I have hated fairies more than anything. But now… I don't know _what_ to think."

Hiccup looked at her, that tight feeling of foreboding that he always felt when he thought of Astrid's hatred of fairies deep in his chest. She couldn't ignore what he was now that he was embracing it. He wondered what she thought of him. Did it change her opinion of him?

"It's strange," Astrid repeated. "I feel… almost relieved. Even though I failed my quest… I… I gained so much because of it."

Hiccup nodded again. "I'm… I'm not sure how to express how happy I am that you're alive. Granted it's tragic _how_ you're alive, I won't deny that. But…" he looked at her earnestly, "The fact that you're alive means… a lot to me."

She looked at him, "Hiccup…" she began, "I… we may find Drago tomorrow—in which case, there might not be another chance to say this. I wanted you to know that I—"

"There you are!" Camicazi landed just behind them, causing Hiccup and Astrid to turn to face her. The fairy grinned at them, displaying all her teeth. "I have news," Camicazi said, in a chipper voice, "I found Drago—and it's _not_ pretty. Both him and the situation."

"What did you find?" Astrid asked seriously.

"He's definitely amassed an army. Lots of people and I've never _seen_ so many dragons at once. I think he's using this big brute of a dragon to control them. I also saw a night fury—think that might be Toothless?"

"Could be," Hiccup said, a surge of hope as well as horror brimming up within him. If Toothless was there, that meant he was still alive, but it also meant he was still in Drago's clutches. "Was he alright?"

Camicazi shrugged, "If you call being mind-controlled 'alright'."

"What's going on?" Eret said as he arrived.

"I found Drago, _do_ keep up," Camicazi said, rolling her eyes.

"I just got here—"

"Point is, there's also armies from all sorts of places marching to meet him—including my mother's army, the Bogs," Camicazi said. "We can intercept them if we start now and walk through the night."

Everyone shared a glance. "I don't see how we have much choice," Astrid said, as the others nodded. Together the four walked back to camp, gearing up and putting out the fire.

"Would have been nice to have another night's sleep," Eret muttered. "But I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Not when the world is at stake," Astrid said, as they all headed into the night, knowing that they might all not survive to sleep another night.

* * *

They heard it before they saw it.

"Look!" Astrid said, pointing to the sky. They could see dragons flying in great swarms—like black clouds above them. Beyond them, they could hear the loud clattering and shouting of battle, even from this distance. Hiccup could hear the horrors—the screams and shouts, and they sent shivers down his spine. They broke into a run, Camicazi flying, through the trees, the din growing louder the closer they neared. They broke through the tree line, and before them was a scene that took their breath away. And not in the good way. Ten armies fought—chaos the only clear winner.

"Where do we start?" Hiccup asked, staring wide-eyed at the monstrous battle. He felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. There were too many—too many dragons. Too many soldiers, both of the enemies and the Wilderwest. Too much chaos. There was no way anyone could win.

"I have no idea..." Eret said, sounding just as clueless as Hiccup was feeling.

"We work our way through," Astrid said. "Hiccup—you find Toothless. You know dragons, you can work on that big one—" she pointed at the impossibly large dragon near the shoreline, "That must be the dragon that's controlling the others. If we can stop the dragon attack, we can lesson Drago's effect. Camicazi, go with him, Hiccup still isn't good at flying. Eret, you and I will work our way through on the ground. I must get to King Stoick—and knowing him, he'll be in the middle somewhere."

"Right," Eret said.

"Are you sure you two will be alright?" Hiccup asked her worriedly, knowing that it would be quite a task to force a way through the chaos that seemed to stretch almost a mile.

"We'll be fine," Astrid said, "Just get up there—we're counting on you!"

"Nothing like a little pressure," Hiccup muttered, closing his eyes and envisioning wings. He felt the magic erupt through his back, still not quite capable of a smooth transformation. "Let's go," he told Camicazi, who nodded. The two took to the air, rising up above and heading towards the gigantic dragon. As always, Hiccup felt a thrill of excitement. Flying solo was a strange feeling—although he wasn't quite sure he liked it more than flying with Toothless. He looked down to see Astrid and Eret heading for the line of battle, and allowed himself a moment of worry, before Camicazi shouted a warning and he narrowly dodged a fire attack from a dragon. "Keep an eye out!" he shouted to her. "Mainly dodge them—don't attack them!"

"You sound like your mother!" Camicazi shouted back. They began to make their way towards the large dragon. "Any idea how to defeat this thing?" she asked him. The dragon to air ratio growing thicker and thicker the closer they neared to the large dragon, and it made flying dangerous. Luckily the dragons seemed, for the most part, not to notice Camicazi and Hiccup. It seemed they assumed all flying objects were also dragons—and therefore allies, not a threat. The main difficulty was not getting caught by a wing and hitting a dragon. Hiccup didn't put much trust in his ability to recover from that while falling to his death.

"No clue!" Hiccup called back, "Maybe if I got Toothless back…"

"How will you do that if he's being mind-controlled?" Camicazi asked, the moment Hiccup spotted the dragon. He thanked his fairy vision for a moment, before changing course and heading for Toothless, Camicazi quickly following behind.

As they flew closer, Hiccup saw a large man sitting on Toothless' back, and opposite him, was Valka on Cloudjumper. "Valka!" he called out, gaining their attention.

Valka looked at him in surprise. Her mouth falling open and her eyes widening. "Hakón!" she said, staring at him in shock—and hope. "Hiccup, what are you—"

"A fairy?" the man, whom Hiccup could only assume was Drago himself, said, staring at Hiccup wide-eyed.

Hiccup ignored him, hovering before Toothless. "Toothless…" he said, reaching out for the dragon.

The dragon winced, shaking his head as if clearing it of a dark thought. But it was not enough. The dragon was still ensnared by the greater beast behind him. Hiccup tried to put out a hand to rest on Toothless' snout, but the dragon shook him off.

Drago laughed—a cruel laugh. "That won't do you any good," he said, "He's _mine_ now. You can try all you want—but you won't get him back."

Hiccup ignored him still, putting out a hand and looking directly in Toothless' eyes. "Come back to me Bud," he said, managing to put a hand on Toothless' snout. He felt something within the dragon—as if he could feel Toothless' inner eye opening ever so slightly. He saw himself as Toothless saw him, clouded and sepia and out of focus. Slowly, he saw Toothless' vision changing, becoming more clear and saturated. The dragon shifted again, blinking as his pupils expanded. A smile appeared on the dragon's face, and Hiccup gave out a triumphant smile.

"How did you do that?" Drago said, an almost awed tone to his voice. He did not have long to figure it out, fore soon Toothless spun in the air, dropping Drago from his back. As Toothless began to fall, Hiccup dove after him, keeping his wings close to him to speed himself along. He got into Toothless' saddle in mid-air, and soon the two were flying through the air.

"Why are you flying on your dragon?" Camicazi asked, speeding along beside him. "You have _wings_ now, Hiccup!"

"Not the same!" Hiccup called back, looking down to see that Drago had disappeared. Where was he? Valka and Cloudjumper appeared next to them.

"I see you got Toothless back," she said, "Luckily Cloudjumper was not affected yet. We need to stop the Bewilderbeast, if we have any hope of stopping Drago's army. That is where his power lies. The warriors below have no hope of winning if they are assaulted by the air as well."

"Right," Hiccup said. He tore a piece of his shirt off, tying it around Toothless' eyes and earholes. "Trust me, Bud," he whispered, giving Toothless a comforting rub on the head, as he and Toothless turned around, and the five of them headed towards the Bewilderbeast.

* * *

"Just up ahead!" Astrid yelled out, cutting a man down as she rushed forward. She and Eret had been working for some time to cut their way through the masses. It took some getting used to, but thankfully neither she nor Eret seemed to have made a mistake. There were so many armies—it was difficult to keep track of who was on whose side. Normally Astrid would have kept count of her kills, but in this case, there was too much chaos to keep track. And she was desperate to reach her king.

King Stoick was just ahead, surrounded by a small army of Drago's men. Eret kept up with Astrid easily, and soon they reached Stoick. "My lord!" Astrid called out, joining Stoick's side and helping him take down the men surrounding them.

"Astrid!" King Stoick looked at her in surprise, before quickly and easily blocking a blow from another soldier. "What are you doing here? Did you find your sister?"

Astrid parried a blow and cut the head off one of the soldiers, "Yes," she said, "Well… I'll tell you about it later. Good news though, I found your son."

Stoick almost let a blow hit him, and barely blocked it in time. He quickly slashed the man's chest, before looking at her in surprise. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Your son," she said, grinning at him. "Turns out he's alive. You won't _believe_ who he had been living with."

"Well, we'll discuss this in greater detail later," Stoick said. "For now, don't get killed. I want to hear everything."

"Right," Astrid said, "This is Eret, by the way."

"Charmed," Stoick said, without much effort. The three continued fighting, making headway with the enemies around them, before they heard a loud howl from up ahead that shook the air and ground alike.

The great dragon, the dragon Astrid assumed was the one controlling the others, was cowering away from something—a black dot of sorts. "Hiccup!" she said to Eret, pointing, "He must have gotten Toothless back and is fighting that dragon!"

"Not much of a fight," Eret noted, as they watched the Bewilderbeast turn and wade out to sea. "He's got him on the run."

"Look!" Astrid pointed to the sky, where dragons were flying off in separate directions. They were moving quickly, as if their life depended on them. "Its hold on them is gone!"

"Good!" Stoick bellowed, "Good for us, anyway. Those blasted things were quite a nuisance. Liked them better when they were just a myth. Now just to find Drago. Come, you two, you can provide cover."

"Yes, my lord!" Astrid said, as she and Eret sprung after the king, heading through the thick battle to where Drago was.

They did not go very far before a particularly large foe crossed paths with them. He brandished a large mace, and Stoick was just ready to charge him when something appeared, bowling the brute over. Stoick, Eret and Astrid stared in shock as a blond elf bludgeoned the man with a mace of his own. Finally, the elf stood. "Precious Macey," he whispered to the mace. "Again you and I are the perfect team…"

"Eret!"

A look of panic crossed Eret's face as he tried to duck behind Astrid, when Ruffnut appeared out of the chaos and tried to latch onto him.

"You can explain who _these_ two are later," Stoick shouted over the din, "For now, let's make our way over _there,_ shall we?"

Eret managed to shove Ruffnut to safety before blocking a blow from one of the enemy. Another attacked him from behind and Ruffnut cut the attacker with her knife. "Thanks…" Eret said, following Astrid as they hurried after Stoick.

"You can make it up to me by kissing me," Ruffnut said, following them easily.

Eret glanced at Astrid, looking for help.

Astrid merely shrugged her shoulders, winking at him, as they worked their way through the battle.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled out, breaking into a run and rushing over to Hiccup, who stood next to Toothless, Cloudjumper, and Valka. "Where's Drago?"

Had the situation not been so dire, she would have laughed—for Toothless was sniffing Hiccup's wings with a peculiar expression on his face.

"Ah," Hiccup pointed, and Astrid looked over to see a crumpled form not far away. "He dropped about a quarter mile. That will do some damage."

"He's dead?" Eret asked, "Well, that's… one way to do it."

Hiccup looked past Astrid and Eret to see Stoick standing there. The king's eyes were not looking at Hiccup, however, but instead were glued on Valka.

Valka was frozen as well, staring at Stoick with equal shock. "Oh…" she said, slightly breathlessly.

Stoick dropped his sword, and Astrid readied her own, ready to defend her king if one of Drago's men arrived and tried to attack him. Stoick approached Valka slowly, and Valka took a slow step away from him. They spoke quietly with each other, in voices so low Astrid could not hear them. She wondered if Hiccup could—with his newly enhanced hearing, but decided not to ask.

After a moment, the king and fairy kissed, before they spoke again, and Stoick turned to face Hiccup. He left Valka's side and walked over to them. "Hakón?" he asked.

"My name is Hiccup," Hiccup said, eyeing Stoick warily.

Stoick nodded mutely, walking over. Hiccup's eyes widened when the man pulled him into an impossibly tight hug. Astrid smiled, watching as father son embraced. "Now is not the time or place but… I would like to speak to you—after we clean this mess up," Stoick said, letting go of him, but cupping Hiccup's cheek with his large hand.

"Shouldn't take too long now that the dragons and Drago are gone," Astrid said. She turned to head back into the fray, but stopped. "Hold on..." She lifted up the shell around her neck, glancing at Hiccup, whose eyes widened slightly.

"Do you think…?" Eret said.

"No way…" Hiccup said. "But if they could…"

Astrid brought the shell to her lips, and blew on it softly. No real noise came out—no song like she expected. They all looked at the shore, only a few meters away, expecting something.

For a few minutes, nothing happened, and they were all of them resolved to continue on without thinking of it more, when suddenly the water began to boil with bubbles, and out from it rose a man.

And then more. Men and women who walked on two legs but were not entirely _human._

And among them was Fishlegs.

"I'm always one for reinforcements," Stoick said. "But did they all have to be _naked?"_

"It's a cultural thing," Hiccup said, shrugging.

Fishlegs ran up to them, pulling Astrid and Hiccup into a tight hug. "So happy to see you," he said. "Don't worry, we'll get this war under wraps. We're pretty good at fighting when our blood boils. Eret!" he let go of Astrid and Hiccup and walked over to Eret, who put his hands up to stop him from getting too near.

"No hugs for me, until you get some clothes on," Eret told him firmly.

"Oh, right," Fishlegs said, looking down at himself, unabashed. "Well, Uncle?" he turned to the first merman who had come from the sea. "Shall we fight with the humans?"

"It's been a good few centuries since I've fought against humans," the merking said.

"Good," Stoick said, as he and the merking stared each other down. "Just make sure you fight the right side."

"Right," Eret agreed, adjusting his long knives in his hands, "Let's get started shall we? I kind of want to see the official reunion after all this is finished."

"Agreed," Astrid said, and they all turned and headed back into the fray.

* * *

Many lives were lost, but many were saved. And many lived.

Hiccup and Toothless walked side by side through the sea of corpses. Men and women alike. Those that had lived had begun piling the bodies and burning them, although Hiccup took no part in this task. He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and go to sleep. Preferably for a thousand years.

He saw, up ahead, Stoick and Valka speaking again, and saw Eret and Astrid approaching him from another direction. Camicazi landed beside him, grinning up at him. "You're turning into a fine fairy, even if you _are_ a boy," she said.

He laughed, an exhausted laugh, and Astrid and Eret broke into a run, dragging him into a bear hug between them. They all laughed when Toothless pounced on them, forcing them to the ground. "Get off, Toothless!" Hiccup laughed, shoving the dragon off. They sat there, not caring that they were probably sitting in someone's blood.

"Hakón—ah, I mean, Hiccup?"

Hiccup looked up to see Stoick the Vast, King of Berk, standing before him. He carefully rose to his feet, gazing at the man.

Stoick gave a short nod of his head as Hiccup bowed. "I thought I had lost you," Stoick said, stepping forward and reaching for Hiccup. His large hand rested on the side of Hiccup's face again for a moment, before dropping away.

"Aye," a loud voice said from Hiccup's right, and Hiccup looked over to see Gobber standing there. "If I had known you were Stoick's son, I would have brought you back as soon as I could. As it were—I only saw you as a newborn, and all you could say as a toddler was 'Hiccup'."

"Thank you, regardless, old friend," Stoick said, smiling at Gobber. He looked back at Hiccup. "I know you must have a lot of questions. And I know this must be a lot to take in…"

"Not as much as finding out I'm half fairy," Hiccup shrugged, smiling sardonically.

Stoick and Valka laughed.

"If you would like," Stoick said, "You can come back to the capitol with me. I know it is not the life you may have expected for yourself—but I am in need of an heir—an heir that is worthy of ruling Berk when I die."

Hiccup paused, glancing at Eret and then Astrid, who were gazing at him expectantly. "Will the fact I'm a changeling matter in that?" he asked, looking back at Stoick in uncertainty.

Stoick shook his head. "No," he said. "You are my son. Doesn't matter _what_ you are."

"I will be going back to the capitol," Astrid offered.

Hiccup laughed, "Then I guess I have no choice."

"That reminds me," Eret said, looking at Valka, "I think you owe me an explanation."

"Oh," Valka frowned, before realizing something. "That's right, you're the dragon trapper."

" _Dragon_ trapper?" Hiccup and Astrid looked at Eret in surprise.

"You never asked," Eret said defensively. "Besides, I've had just about enough of dragons. Besides you, of course," he gave Toothless a playful shove.

"Yes, I see you've a change of heart," Valka said, looking thoughtful. "Well, hand it over then," she said, holding out her hand.

Eret unhooked the tooth from his belt, and hesitated for a moment, before tossing it over to her. Valka caught it, and whispered something to it, before dropping it to the ground and stamping on it. Eret winced, before straightening his back and breathing out. "Thank you," he whispered.

"I wish I could undo what you did while under that curse," Valka said, "But I am afraid I cannot change the past."

Eret nodded. "For now, I will go with my new family," he turned to look at Astrid and Hiccup, who smiled back at him. "If you'll let me come with you to Berk."

"Of course," Stoick said.

"Now for the real reason I came along with all of you," Camicazi said, letting go of Hiccup's arm and taking a step towards Valka. "Valka, I have a message for you from the fairies. We want you to return to The North. You'll be given back your wings—and we want you to become queen in Angharad's stead."

Valka's eyes widened. "You want me to be… queen? Is Angharad dead?"

Camicazi nodded.

"Valka…" Stoick turned to her, reaching out for her hand. She hesitantly gave it to him. "If you so wish, you can return to Berk with me. _If_ you so wish."

Valka looked between Camicazi and Stoick, conflict on her face.

"I…" she trailed off, before saying, firmly, "I will return to Berk—but as Hiccup's mother. He needs training to control his powers, now that they have awakened so brutally. But I will also return to the fairies."

Stoick smiled, squeezing her hand, "I understand."

"And Hiccup," Astrid said, breaking the comfortable silence that followed, "Hiccup drew the sword of the King of the Wilderwest."

"I noticed," Stoick said, beaming at Hiccup. "You may only be my heir, but I will make sure, one day, you sit upon the throne of all of the Wilderwest."

"I…" Hiccup put up his hands, "I'm not sure if that's quite what I—"

"Nonsense," Stoick chortled, "You'd make a great king, whether of one nation, or all of them."

"Oh—no, I'm… not sure I even want—"

Astrid and Eret nudged him in the ribs, silencing him.

"Well," Astrid said, grinning up at him. "What an interesting quest. I don't think any of us got what we were looking for."

"I did," Eret said, "I was freed from my curse. But I got so much more."

Hiccup put an arm around each of their shoulders, "I could use a bath, some hot food, and a good night's sleep."

"Well, we'll be heading back to Berk, and you'll get all those things for the rest of your life," Stoick said, and small group turned and walked away, a great feeling of relief rising up within each other them, for they each, in their own way, completed a quest.

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

Hiccup looked at his reflection in the mirror, adjusting his fine velvet clothing and cape. He would never be used to such fine adornments. But he would have to. After tonight, he would be legally the crown prince of Berk. He wasn't sure how he thought about that. And his father—it was strange to have a _father_ now—was convinced Hiccup would soon be king of all of the Wilderwest. Hiccup was _definitely_ not sure how he felt about that.

Toothless whirred beside him. "Thanks, Bud," Hiccup said, "But I'm pretty sure I look like a bunch of wet noodles in this."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he Astrid say from the doorway.

He looked over, taking in a deep breath. She was dressed in deep red silk, which clung to her chest and waist, and billowed out to her feet. "You look…" he trailed off, not trusting his words to properly express himself. "Beautiful…" he finished.

She smiled, and walked into the room. "And you look quite dashing—for a blacksmith. Or is it a tanner? Hunter? _Monster_ hunter?" she paused before him, "No… _you_ are… a _fairy."_

He snorted slightly, before saying, a little hesitantly, "And that doesn't bother you? That I'm… part fairy?"

"Bother me?" she cocked her head, thinking. She looked him straight in the eye, "No. It doesn't. In fact, I daresay it makes me like you even more."

"Like me?" he asked, smiling, "Well, that's good to know—" he gave a little gasp as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. He froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, before melting into her kiss, putting his hands on her waist. After a moment, they broke apart. "What about you being a lady?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, a prince needs a wife, doesn't he?" she returned.

"Is that a proposal?" he asked, surprised, before grinning mischievously at her, "This isn't because I'm about to become a _crown_ _prince_ , is it?"

She punched him, almost hard enough to bruise. "You twat," she said, unable to stop herself from grinning back at him. "If we hadn't gotten interrupted all the time you'd know that I've liked you for a _long_ time."

"I know…" he said, leaning in for another kiss. When they separated again, he said, "Although that one time you stopped it on account of propriety."

"Well, if you accept my proposal, we won't have to _worry_ about propriety, will we?" she asked.

"I suppose not," he said, leaning in for yet another kiss, which she gladly accepted.

Finally, Toothless whined, and they looked over to see him covered his eyes with his claws. They chuckled, and Astrid said, "Shall we go meet the masses?"

"Your crown prince awaits your command," Hiccup said, mock bowing.

She grabbed his chin with her fingers, lifting him up to his full height. "My _fairy_ ," she corrected.

He blinked, and smiled. He took her hand in his, motioning for Toothless to follow them. Together, the three walked from the room, entering the hall where Eret waited for them, and the four walked together to their new, bright future.

* * *

 **THE END**

Finished! This story has been long in the coming. I finished writing it back at the beginning of 2016, months before I started posting it here. It's such a relief for it to finally be finished!

Thanks so much for sticking with it till the end!


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